Home thoughts from abroad.wordpress.com

Mark 2:13-17: Eyes to see.

^“13 Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. ¹⁴ As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me,’ Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.  ¹⁵ While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. ¹⁶ When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?’  ¹⁷ On hearing this, Jesus said to them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but those who are ill. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’” NIV UK

I saw a moving piece on ‘TBN’ the other day – the story of a man from Las Vegas, who came from a terrible background. Tragically, he grew up feeling unloved and unwanted. He ended up abusing drugs and became homeless. One day, he met some Christians and one of the lady workers at the church he found himself in wanted to give him a hug. ‘You mustn’t,’ he protested, ‘I smell awful.’ She answered that she was not aware of any bad odour and she hugged him all the same. It was the beginning of a turnaround for him. Today he has a food pantry for people in Las Vegas who are on the streets. He drives a bus, and takes food to them. It’s all done in Jesus’ Name. It strikes me that those Christian women who reached out to him in the first place saw him through different eyes, and he now sees the outcasts of society with an alternative vision also.

How do we see people? We have had cause to reflect on this point recently.                      ‘’As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth’’ (14a). Most of Jesus’ Jewish contemporaries would merely have seen someone to despise. Tax collectors were hated because they worked for the Romans. They were seen as collaborators with the oppressing forces. Furthermore, they creamed off a a nice slice of money for themselves. Jesus, however, saw this man differently. He recognised in him a future disciple and gospel writer. Jesus also had eyes to see loveliness in the other characters who gathered at Levi’s house (15).                                                                           ‘’When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the ‘’sinners’’ and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: ‘’Why does he eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?’’ (16). They didn’t see people as Jesus did. This led to the correctional statement in (17). We live in a world that often wants us to label and victimise people; to ostracise them as if unworthy of our love and attention. Jesus pointed out that He just saw people with the eyes of a Doctor. He saw them as ‘’sick’’ and in need of His services; and He couldn’t help them by holding His nose and keeping His distance. If the Doc is going to administer a cure, he has to come close. Jesus didn’t set up a telephone advisory clinic.

The irony is that the Pharisees thought they were ‘in the pink’, and did not realise that they were in a terminal condition. They couldn’t see people as Jesus did, and they were blinded to their own true state.

PRAYER: Again Lord, I need to ask you to give me the grace to see people with your eyes and to feel for them with your heart.

Mark 2:13-17: Eyes to see.

“13 Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. 14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me,’ Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.  15 While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?’  17 On hearing this, Jesus said to them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but those who are ill. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’ “NIV UK

I saw a moving piece on ‘TBN’ the other day – the story of a man from Las Vegas, who came from a terrible background. Tragically, he grew up feeling unloved and unwanted. He ended up abusing drugs and became homeless. One day, he met some Christians and one of the lady workers at the church he found himself in wanted to give him a hug. ‘You mustn’t,’ he protested, ‘I smell awful.’ She answered that she was not aware of any bad odour and she hugged him all the same. It was the beginning of a turnaround for him. Today he has a food pantry for people in Las Vegas who are on the streets. He drives a bus, and takes food to them. It’s all done in Jesus’ Name. It strikes me that those Christian women who reached out to him in the first place saw him through different eyes, and he now sees the outcasts of society with an alternative vision also.

How do we see people? We have had cause to reflect on this point recently.

‘’As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth’’ (14a). Most of Jesus’ Jewish contemporaries would merely have seen someone to despise. Tax collectors were hated because they worked for the Romans. They were seen as collaborators with the oppressing forces. Furthermore, they creamed off a a nice slice of money for themselves. Jesus, however, saw this man differently. He recognised in him a future disciple and gospel writer. Jesus also had eyes to see loveliness in the other characters who gathered at Levi’s house (15).

‘’When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the ‘’sinners’’ and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: ‘’Why does he eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?’’ (16). They didn’t see people as Jesus did. This led to the correctional statement in (17). We live in a world that often wants us to label and victimise people; to ostracise them as if unworthy of our love and attention. Jesus pointed out that He just saw people with the eyes of a Doctor. He saw them as ‘’sick’’ and in need of His services; and He couldn’t help them by holding His nose and keeping His distance. If the Doc is going to administer a cure, he has to come close. Jesus didn’t set up a telephone advisory clinic.

The irony is that the Pharisees thought they were ‘in the pink’, and did not realise that they were in a terminal condition. They couldn’t see people as Jesus did, and they were blinded to their own true state.

PRAYER: Again Lord, I need to ask you to give me the grace to see people with your eyes and to feel for them with your heart.

Mark 2:1-12: Roof-moving faith.

” A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. ² They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. ³ Some men came, bringing to him a paralysed man, carried by four of them. ⁴ Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. ⁵ When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralysed man, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’  ⁶ Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, ⁷ ‘Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?’  ⁸ Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, ‘Why are you thinking these things? ⁹ Which is easier: to say to this paralysed man, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Get up, take your mat and walk”? ¹⁰ But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.’ So he said to the man, ¹¹ ‘I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.’ ¹² He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this!’” NIV UK

In the revival in Ulster in the mid 1800’s, church buildings were regularly so full that services had to be taken outside. That has been a common feature of Holy Spirit inspired movements in church history. On this occasion in the gospel ‘’…the people heard that he had come home’’ (1), and the venue was overflowing (2).Tom Wright suggests that this may have been Jesus’ own home in Capernaum. I make the observation that there is something magnetic about the presence of Jesus. At the heart of every revival you will find this essential reality, that people know that Jesus is present in His church. They know that they will meet Him if they go to church, and they will hear Him speak (2). He is the draw; He’s the reason why people come along in droves. It’s not because someone put some glossy publicity material in their hands, showing the face of a good looking preacher.  The central message Jesus brings is about forgiveness of sins and a right relationship with God (5, 6, 9 and 10). In a sense, we are all paralysed by guilt. We are lame. We have done wrong and we are not what God made us to be. We all need to hear the word of absolution pronounced over our lives by the Lord Himself. Then other people will look on in amazement as they see the changes He makes in us (12), and God will get the glory He alone deserves.  We sometimes talk about the need for mountain-moving faith. Yet at times, it may be a roof that needs moving. For ourselves, we can seek to emulate the men who carried the paralysed man to Jesus. We bring people to Jesus on the stretcher of prayer. Some of those we carry may be unable, or unwilling, to come by themselves. Let’s be determined anyway, to press through every obstacle and barrier, and get those people, those needs to the feet of Jesus. Does anybody else feel there’s something here about prayer as you read these words? Does it in any way resonate with your own experience? Don’t you often feel like you have to press through some things before there can be breakthrough?

The big issue in this story is about the identity of Jesus. Who is He? If only God can forgive sins, what inference are we meant to draw about Christ? When the paralytic got up from ‘’his mat’’ and ‘’walked out in full view of them all’’ (12), that sealed it. It showed that Jesus really had forgiven his sins. The religious leaders did not like the implications. From this point on, they were on a collision course with the Lord which would eventually lead to Calvary.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, you taught that perseverance in prayer is necessary. This story reminds me of that. Please help me to keep going

Mark 1:40-45: You can pray for yourself.

^“40 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, ‘If you are willing, you can make me clean.’  ⁴¹ Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ ⁴² Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. ⁴³ Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: ⁴⁴ ‘See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.’ ⁴⁵ Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.” NIV UK

Here are three question:

1. Do you want to be healed? Some years ago I knew a lovely man who lived in the Morecambe area. I visited him and his wife regularly, and he was always happy for me to pray for him. However, he had a mental blockage when it came to praying for himself. He felt he couldn’t do it. Perhaps it seemed selfish? However, today’s passage surely lays such an idea to rest. Jesus clearly did not mind the leper praying for himself. He prayed earnestly for his own need, and Jesus did not rebuke him. Of course you can pray for your own healing. Away with any notion that you can’t. Obviously, you won’t want to become self-obsessed, but as someone said, whatever concerns the child concerns the Father. If you have health concerns; you can come to Jesus and kneel beside the leper. He will not turn you away. As with the story of Simon’s mother-in-law (1:30,31), so here there is a link between the ‘prayer’ (40) and Jesus’ response (41). Although Jesus may not always answer with immediate healing, He surely always answers with ‘’compassion’’ for the person in need.
2. Do you want to be clean? The word ‘’clean’’ comes twice in the passage (40,41), and ‘’cleansing’’ is also found once in (44). So this is an important theme in a short section. Leprosy is a term used for a variety of skin diseases – not just the worst case scenario illness we tend to think about whenever leprosy is mentioned. What we can say, though, is that the big ‘L’ leprosy is a picture of sin. It deforms, and eventually, destroys human lives. It chews people up. It nibbles away at the edges of who God made them to be. Whereas it is not always Jesus’ will to heal our illness ‘’Immediately’’, it is always His will to cleanse from sin. How urgently, though, do you feel the desire to be holy; to be made clean in heart? Can you share David’s heartfelt prayer in Psalm 51? Does such a longing for purity bring you to your knees?
3. Will you obey? When Jesus saves/heals you (and remember the Biblical concept of salvation includes healing) it is so that you may obey Him/obey His Word (44). You don’t then go off and raise the flag of independence. You come to Jesus on your knees, and that is, as it were, where you spend the rest of your days. Life begins at the feet of Jesus, and there it will continue. In asking why Jesus gave this ‘’strong warning’’ (43) Tom Wright makes the point that if the man were blind, it would be obvious that his eyes were now open; if he were deaf, it would be clear that he could now hear. However, if he happened to turn up in his community claiming to be free of leprosy, some people might be cagey. So it was important for him to go through the proper procedure to verify his healing. If he went through the official channels, he could then come away with a proper public clean bill of health. Let’s be clear, he didn’t need to keep the law of Moses in order to get clean, but so that he could be pronounced clean. When you were dealing with leprosy, it was really important for others to know that you were no longer a public health threat. ‘’But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way’’ 

Mark 1:35-39: Solitary places.

³⁵ Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. ³⁶ Simon and his companions went to look for him, ³⁷ and when they found him, they exclaimed: ‘Everyone is looking for you!’  ³⁸ Jesus replied, ‘Let us go somewhere else – to the nearby villages – so that I can preach there also. That is why I have come.’ ³⁹ So he travelled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. ” NIV UK

How could Jesus preach so powerfully and effectively, and keep going? (It is evident that preaching was a priority for Him: verses 38, 39. How could He wield such power in the face of much sickness; exercise such authority in the teeth of immense evil? How could He hold so much influence in one-to-one discipleship? I believe the gospel writers want us to see the big place prayer played in the life of Jesus. There is an inevitable question arising from these accounts: if we are to do the works Jesus did (and even ‘’greater’’ works) how will we do so without imitating His ways? How can we expect to move in the Spirit’s power if we avoid the Spirit’s means?

‘Beware the barrenness of a busy life.’ A busy life doesn’t have to be barren, I know, but there is a kind of prayer-less busyness which is likely to bring a creeping aridity into the soul and turn it into a desert.

Some years ago I was given a biography to read. It told the wonderful story of William Duma, an African preacher/evangelist. He had a remarkable ministry, especially in the realm of healing, However, he also had what he called his ‘trysting place’ – a ‘lover’s retreat’, up in the hills, where he would go and spend regular time in prayer to God. He would often go for several days at a time. However, there came a point where his ministry dried up, and he had to face the fact that he had got so busy he had neglected the ‘trysting place.’ Only after repentance, and a return to his former habits was his ministry re-charged.

None of this is to suggest that we can earn God’s blessing by much prayer. God in His sovereign grace may choose to bless the ministries of people who are not all that prayerful. God has His reasons and He can do whatever He likes for His glory. I’m simply saying that from where I stand, I have to ask myself: ‘How can I expect to minister like Jesus, if I don’t choose to emulate His ways; to follow His habits?’ By God’s grace alone it is possible to rise to this challenge. Today, I am stirred and moved afresh as I feel again in my heart the deepest call of all – the call to pray. May God help me to answer it.

‘Little prayer, little power; some prayer, some power; much prayer, much power.’

PRAYER: Lord, I believe this. Help me to live like I do.

Mark 1: 29-34: Tell Jesus.

^“29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. ³⁰ Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. ³¹ So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.  ³² That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all who were ill and demon-possessed. ³³ The whole town gathered at the door, ³⁴ and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.” NIV UK

Tell Jesus.                                                                                                                                           ‘’Simon’s mother – in – law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her’’ (30).  You can tell Jesus about the needs in your home and among your family. Of course you can tell Jesus about anyone and anything, but this passage encourages us to expect His activity at home.

There is no need to wait. Let there be no gap between becoming aware of a need and telling the Lord: ‘’…immediately they told Jesus…’’  Was there a response? Of course there was: ‘’So he went to her…’’ (31). Telling Jesus about the needy woman preceded His healing work in her life. The ‘prayer’ was answered.

The other day, I very much wanted to pray for a relative who is in great need, but I wasn’t at all sure how to. Then I realised, to my relief, that I could just ‘tell Jesus’ and it would be enough. He knows best what to do. He doesn’t need expert advice from me.  The inference in the remainder of the passage may be that the healing of one can lead to the blessing of many others. Don’t despise the day of small things. This would still be a wonderful story if Jesus had healed only Simon’s mother-in-law. However, it looks like a torrent of miracles were triggered.

PRAYER: Lord, I bring to you my concerns for…and thank you that I can simply tell you

Mark 1: 21-28: ‘Deliver us from evil.’

^“21 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. ²² The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. ²³ Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, ²⁴ ‘What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One of God!’  ²⁵ ‘Be quiet!’ said Jesus sternly. ‘Come out of him!’ ²⁶ The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.  ²⁷ The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, ‘What is this? A new teaching – and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.’ ²⁸ News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.” NIV UK

Note three things:

1. The authority of Jesus: People noticed a radical difference between Jesus and their regular preachers. The speakers they were used to spoke ‘on’ authority, regularly quoting sources such as Moses or another rabbi. Jesus, however, spoke ‘with’ authority. He carried a marked personal authority: ‘Truly, truly, I say to you…’
2. The authority of the preacher: No preacher today is the same as Jesus; but the more time we spend with Him, listening to Him, the more likely we are to speak the words we have heard from Him. The more surrendered we are to Jesus, the more likely it is that we will speak with an authority that comes from Him and glorifies Him. This is the anointing. It is not about shouting or pacing a platform. There is a quiet, compelling note of authority about those who walk with Jesus, and others take note that we have been with Him;
3. The triumph over the devil: As someone said, it was like the evil spirits had an ‘inside track’ on what was to happen to them. The exorcism here was a pre-figuring of the total conquest over evil that was to take place at the cross.We still see much evil in the world – terrible, malignant evil. But it’s time is limited; its era will be short-lived. The cross says that the day is coming when all evil will be banished from the universe. In the mean time, we believers know we’re in a fight; but it’s a fight from victory – not for it. The decisive battle has already been won at Calvary.

Mark 1:14-20: Seeing people.

^“14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ¹⁵ ‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!’  ¹⁶ As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁷ ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.’ ¹⁸ At once they left their nets and followed him.  ¹⁹ When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. ²⁰ Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.” NIV UK

‘God had one Son, and He made Him a preacher.’                                                                      ‘’After John was put in prison…’’ it could have been easier for Jesus to keep a low profile for a time, but Jesus moved in the Father’s timing. Someone said that what we know about Jesus would lead us to believe that He was always prayerful, waiting on God for direction. However God also speaks through circumstances, and it was no doubt obvious that if there was to be no lull in the Kingdom movement, Jesus should now take the baton from the hand of John. There should be a seamless continuity.                                              ‘’As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew…When he had gone a little farther, he saw James…’’ As we go about our daily business, doing what we have to do, do we ‘see’ people? I mean, really ‘see’ them? Do we see and understand where they are? Do we ‘get’ their circumstances; the lives they lead? Furthermore, do we see their potential – what they might become by God’s calling and enabling? Do we see their talents, skills and gifts and how these might be used for Kingdom purposes? Jesus still comes to people where they are, and He calls them. Sometimes He speaks to them directly; at other times He may use the likes of you and me. He regularly uses the lives and lips of His people to speak to others.What an adventure can begin when someone hears the Lord Jesus say, ‘’Come, follow me…and I will make you…’’ We surely hear echoes of the larger Bible story about God’s people in these incidents. Are we not taken back to Genesis 12 and the call of Abraham? ‘’Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.’’

 In that country and culture, a small family business could be handed on not only through generations but also through centuries. It must have cost these men to leave it all behind. The call of the Kingdom is not only into something, but it is also away from certain things. At its most basic level, there is the call to ‘’Repent’’ – to leave behind sin – to turn away from a self-centred way of life in order to trust Jesus. To enter into all the good of Kingdom life, we have to leave behind the bad of personal sin. We also may have to, repeatedly, through the course of our lives, turn from things which are not intrinsically wrong, but would impede us in the life of discipleship.

Just over a year ago, when Jilly and I were travelling, we noticed something about ourselves. We could start to feel quite attached to a lovely place and not want to leave. However, in the moving on, we found ourselves in other delightful settings we would not have missed by choice. If we hadn’t been willing to accept the pain of leaving behind, we would not have experienced those new joys. It made me realise that the Christian life is a journey in which we have to leave behind and move on time and again; and there can be no embracing the new without forsaking the old

Thought: What ‘nets’ do I need to leave behind today?

PRAYER: Lord, I want to be ready to follow you fully – wherever the path may take me. Help me Lord Jesus, please. My life is yours. Do with me as you will.

Mark 1:9-13: Anointed for battle.

^“9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptised by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰ Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. ¹¹ And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’  ¹² At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, ¹³ and he was in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted  by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.” NIV UK

If Jesus needed to have the Spirit come upon Him to enable Him to fulfill His ministry, How much more do we need the Holy Spirit’s anointing? One of the things the Spirit of God does for us is to assure us that we are dearly loved and accepted children of the Father (11; see also Romans 8:14-17). That sense of security ‘at home’ is vital for those who have to head for the front lines.

The equipping the Spirit brings is for battle (12, 13). We are not called to an easy life, and we must not expect one. We have to serve in a hostile, unpromising environment. What can we hope to achieve in a ‘’desert’’? Well, the wilderness was the arena of one of Jesus’ greatest triumphs. Luke, like Mark, is explicit in saying that the Spirit was the reason Jesus was in that place of conflict (Luke 4:1), and he adds that the other side of the fight, ‘’Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit…’’ (Luke 4:14).

F.B. Meyer makes the excellent point that we live between ‘’the wild animals’’ and the ‘’angels,’’ and we need to ensure that the higher nature defeats the lower one again and again. The truth is you can tame the wild beast within if the Spirit is upon you.

PRAYER: Lord, we give you thanks that we do not fight this battle alone.