Category: Bible

One of the biggest questions I have when reading the gospels is why Jesus continued to tell people to keep what he was doing quiet. It likewise had to be the biggest question on the minds of his followers.

Today’s story (Mark 7:31-37) is all about this. Jesus was back in an area made up primarily of Gentiles. He wasn’t as known there as he was in Galilee and Judea, where he spent most of his time. But the moment he arrived in this area, people knew it. A man who was deaf and mostly mute was brought to him in hopes that Jesus would heal him.

Jesus took the man aside. He put his fingers into the man’s ear, then touched the man’s tongue. With a deep sigh he said “Ephphatha”, which means, “Be opened.” The man’s ears were opened and his tongue was loosened, and he began to speak plainly.

Then Jesus did something puzzling. He told the crowd not to tell anyone what he had done.

Why did he do this?

We’re a few days away from election day, so let’s go back to this image of me being the campaign manager for Jesus’ campaign. This again is the moment we want to tell everyone. We want this moment to go viral, and we hardly have to do anything to make that happen.

So much of our time is spent devising ways for people to care about what we think and say. Jesus didn’t need to raise any campaign funds. He didn’t need to send team knocking on doors. He healed people. He blew people’s minds. And those around him have to be thinking, “This is exactly what we need to start a revolution!”

But it wasn’t time.

Again, why?

My best answer to this is that Jesus knew that true revolution could not come without his death. True revolution wouldn’t come with him gathering crowds so large that the Romans had to leave the Jewish lands. This is what the people imagined when they thought about Messiah. But Jesus knew that it wouldn’t accomplish the true work that God wanted.

True revolution would not take the form of a conquering king but that of a humble servant. It would only come with Jesus dying alone on a criminal’s cross.

At this point none of his followers could grasp this concept. I wouldn’t be able to either. I actually have a difficult time grasping it now, even though 2000 years have passed. It’s complex.

Yet as we continue to move through the story we see this path continue to emerge.

Now, back to this story…

Jesus told them not to tell anyone, but it didn’t work. They couldn’t help themselves.

Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak” (Mark 7:36-37.

In yesterday’s reflection I wrote about Jesus’ compassion for the crowds that were coming to see him. He had compassion because they were harassed, and the primary ones doing the harassing were their Roman rulers. But they weren’t the only ones doing this. The Jewish rulers were also culpable.

After the Israelites were set free from slavery in Egypt, God brought them to a new land and established them as a nation. Part of being a nation was having laws, and he gave them these laws through Moses. It started with ten commandments, and from there those were fleshed out.

Over time, the number of laws grew, and at the time of Jesus there were over 600. From 10 to 600. That’s quite a jump. And this law, which was originally meant to provide a good foundation for living the lives that God wanted for his people, had now become a real burden. There was always something that a person was doing wrong, and the Pharisees were quick to point them out. And they had a tendency to major on the minors, which was very frustrating to Jesus because he knew the effect it had on the people. You never knew which of these 600 rules the Pharisees were going to be focusing on in a given day.

It was also frustrating to Jesus because the Pharisees were hypocrites. In this passage from Mark 7 Jesus points out this hypocrisy. Jesus told them, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! (Mark 7:9). As an example, he reminded the crowd that one of those original ten commandments was to honor your father and mother. Yet the Pharisees, who loved their loopholes, had a law that said if you said that everything you owned was “devoted” to God, then you were free from the obligation of taking care of your parents in their old age.

With this law (Corban) the Pharisees had completely missed the point, and they were doing more harm than good. Jesus said to them, “Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that” (Mark 7:13).

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.
Matthew 9:35-38

This is a famous passage. It’s a synopsis of much of Jesus’ three years of ministry. He taught in the synagogues every chance he got. His primary message was that the kingdom of God was greater than the all other earthly kingdoms, and that Kingdom had now come through him. He didn’t just talk about the kingdom, though. He also demonstrated it through healing people.

When Jesus looked at those who were coming to him, he felt deep compassion for them. Sure, there were some who were coming to debate him, and others just to see the show. But most were there because they needed help. When he looked at them he saw that they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. A shepherd protects and guides his sheep. They had no one to protect and guide them.

We also see in this passage that Jesus decided it was time to empower his disciples to do what he had been doing. They weren’t theologically trained. They didn’t necessarily know what they were doing. But they trusted Jesus. I also love the fact that he didn’t send them out on their own. He sent them in pairs. Community was important to him.

The story of the demon-possessed Gerasene is a powerful one. One day Jesus and his disciples went across the Sea of Galilee to the region of the Gerasenes. These were Gentile (non-Jewish) people, and this was non-Jewish territory. One reason we know this is because pigs play a big role in the story, and pigs made these people unclean. Therefore, the Jewish people stayed away from this region.

Jesus stepped out of the boat, and all of a sudden a mostly naked man was running towards him.

We saw a few days ago that one of the marks of the Kingdom coming on earth as it is in heaven is that the oppressed would be set free. This man was definitely oppressed, and he longed to be set free. What did oppression look like for this man?

At the root this man’s oppression came because he had an impure spirit. Because of this he lived in the tombs, which tells us that he was isolated from his family and friends. They were deeply scared of him. They once binded him with chains and he broke them. Those in the town would hear his crying out, but there was nothing they could do for him. Mark says that he would cut himself with stones. This was truly a sad and desperate situation.

So when Jesus stepped out the boat, this desperate man came running towards him. When he got to Jesus he fell to his knees. Jesus loved this man and felt deep compassion for him. He knew immediately what he was dealing with, so he said, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!” The man didn’t respond, but the impure spirit did. It said “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me.”

What happens next is pretty wild. Jesus asks the spirit what it’s name is, and it says, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” The spirit apparently knew that Jesus was about to cast it out of the man, so it asked Jesus if he could cast them into the herd of pigs that were nearby. I’m not really sure why Jesus agreed to this, but he did, and the next thing you know, these two thousand pigs rushed into the sea and drowned.

Word spread throughout the village quickly, and soon everyone was there. The whole pig thing was crazy, but what was crazier was that the man was sitting with Jesus, dressed and “in his right mind.” And it says that the people were afraid. This was a different type of fear than what they felt before with this man.

The people asked Jesus to leave. This was too much for them. The man begged Jesus to allow him to go with them. Jesus said no, which is sad. But Jesus had a great reason. He said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”

So that’s exactly what the man did.

We don’t hear anything else about this man. We don’t know what happened to him. But the next time that Jesus stepped foot in this region, it seems like everyone knows who he is. For that reason NT Wright calls this man the first apostle to the Gentiles.

Today’s readings focus on some of the parables (stories) that Jesus told. In these stories Jesus wants his listeners to know what the Kingdom of God is like, but he doesn’t teach them an academic lesson. He instead tells them stories.

Jesus’ listeners understood kingdom. They had been ruled by different kingdoms for the last 700 years, and now they were under the reign of the Roman Empire. Jesus wanted them to know that there was a kingdom more powerful than the Romans. God had not forgotten his people. Jesus had come to show the people what life was like when God was in charge.

Here are a few of my takeaways after reading these stories.

The kingdom continues to grow (Mark 4:26-29) – The kingdom grows even while we’re asleep. This tells me that God is the one doing the growing, not us.

The kingdom is meant to be a blessing to all those around it (Matthew 13:31-32) – The kingdom movement starts as the smallest of seed, but it grows into the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, and that tree becomes a place for the birds to perch. A place for the birds. This might not be a huge thing, but it’s a good thing.

The kingdom is subversive (Matthew 13:33) – I’ve started baking more in the last few years, and I understand the power of yeast because I once forgot to add it. All it takes is a small and seemingly insignificant amount of yeast to make a difference in a large amount of flour.

The kingdom is valuable to those who pursue it (Matthew 13:44-46) – The kingdom is like the man who found a fine pearl and went and sold everything he had so that he could purchase it.

We’ve had some miracles in the previous stories, but now we’re about to see some MIRACLES! I love these two stories found in Luke 7.

One day Jesus went to Capernaum. He had spent some time there previously, so people knew who he was. There was a Roman centurion who had a servant who was at the point of death. The centurion was respected by the Jewish leaders in the town, so they went to Jesus to ask him to help. Jesus agreed to help. While he was on his way, though, the centurion sent some others to Jesus and said,

“Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

Jesus had been around so many skeptics, so this man’s response floored him. He remarked that he had not seen this this type of faith (belief) in Israel. In that moment the man’s servant was healed.

Some time later Jesus and his followers were in a town called Nain. There was a funeral procession happening. It was a boy, the only son of a widow. There was such sadness all around Jesus. His heart went out to her, and he said, “Don’t cry.”

Then he simply went to the coffin, touched it, and said, “Young man, I say to you, get up.” The widow’s son sat up at that moment, alive.

The people were filled with awe and praised God. I love what they said next…”God has come to help his people.”

At the heart of Jesus’ mission was to show God’s love and to bring help. As we see throughout the story, some receive the help while others don’t think they need it.

Today’s readings focus on the ethical teachings of Jesus found in Matthew 5-7, and I will say at the start that these teachings are very challenging. I’m reminded that God’s Kingdom is an upside down one. It’s not the way of the world. In so many areas it’s a 180 degree shift from the world. When Jesus first stepped onto the scene he announced that the Kingdom was near, and the call was to repent and believe the good news of the Kingdom. Repent here doesn’t simply mean to repent of individual sins. I’ve always loved how Dallas Willard paraphrased it.

“All the preliminaries have been taken care of, and the rule of God is now accessible to everyone. Review your plans for living and base your life on this remarkable new opportunity.”

The Greek word for repent is metanoia, and it means “to change one’s mind.” I love the call to review and rethink. Every day we need to think critically about what we are basing our life on and what truly brings us happiness and fulfillment. The ways of Jesus (the Kingdom of God) are easily missed when we are unconsciously walking through life breathing the cultural air.

That’s why the words uttered by Jesus in Matthew 7:13-14 are so important.

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

These two verses have greatly shaped my thinking and living over the last couple of decades. Here’s my take on them.

There’s one path (a broad one) that a lot of people take. People aren’t normally stupid, so there’s a good reason they’re on it. They, along with everyone else on that path, believe that it’s the path to the good life. What does that path look like? It’s all about money, sex and power. Every commercial we see preaches this message. But Jesus says that it doesn’t deliver on its promises. He says that it actually leads to destruction. That’s a pretty strong word. Another word is waste. We waste the lives we were created to live when we take this path.

But there’s another path, and it’s a path that’s often missed because fewer have taken it. And it’s not hyped by advertising. It’s a narrow path, but it’s a path that leads to life.

A person on this path is learning that the upside down Kingdom of God can be trusted, even when it goes against so much that we see and hear. Those on this path don’t feel like they have to cling to money and stuff because they trust that God will take care of them. They can live their lives with their hands open, giving to those in need. They can be present today rather than worrying about tomorrow. They can even love their enemies.

Is any of this easy? That’s a trick question. Jesus said that his yoke was easy and his burden light. There is a freedom and simplicity that comes when we place our trust in him. But it’s also awfully complex and challenging to continue daily this act of repentance. It’s not easy to go on the narrow path when so many others are on the wide one. But it’s the way to Life, and Life is what our hearts long for more than anything else.

It’s the time in this story that we meet the antagonist. Enter the Pharisees, a group of religious leaders who, at their best, are skeptical of Jesus and are simply protective of God’s people. At their worse, though, they’re completely blind towards God’s purposes, and they’ll do whatever is necessary in order to stop Jesus.

In this post I’ll share my empathy for the Pharisees. I feel a bit bad for them at times. Here are some of the things that they question Jesus about.

Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners? After all, if Jesus were truly a religious leader, he would know not to associate with sinners.
Jesus’ response: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick” (Luke 5:31).

Why are your followers feasting when we’re all fasting?
Jesus’ response: “There’s a time to feast and a time to fast. Today is a day to feast because I’m here. It’s a new day” (my simple paraphrase of Luke 5:34-35).

Why do your disciples do what is unlawful on the Sabbath? They were picking grain because they were hungry.
Jesus’ response:: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).

Why are you healing on the Sabbath? After all, no work is to be done on the Sabbath.
Jesus’ response (my paraphrase): “If there was just one day for healing it would be the Sabbath. The Sabbath is about blessing. It’s about rest. It’s about worship. Why would God not want to heal someone on the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:11-12)!

The Pharisees knew God’s law, yet they had totally missed the heart of God that is within the law.

It’s a bit alarming that the group of people who are seemingly the most connected to God are actually blind towards God’s purposes. Something for us all to think about.

Today’s reading is from Luke 4:16-30. Jesus is in his hometown, and he picks an ordinary Sabbath morning to announce his ministry in the synagogue to a group of people who have known he and his family all his life.

He asks, or is asked to read, and it’s the scroll of Isaiah that he receives. He reads from Isaiah 61, which speaks of the Lord’s anointed one who will come to…

• Proclaim good news to the poor
• Proclaim freedom for the prisoners
• Proclaim the recovery of sight for the blind
• Set the oppressed free
• Proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor

He stands, reads, then hands the scroll back and sits down. Luke says that the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him.

So he says one more thing…

“Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21).

If that’s not a mic drop I don’t know what is.

What is their response?

They are amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips.

He’s one of their own, and they’re no doubt proud of him. They’re also perhaps a bit perplexed by this last statement. What does it mean that it’s been fulfilled today? Oh well…they’re gracious words.

But then one asks, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” Maybe Joseph’s son shouldn’t be pointing to himself as the Lord’s anointed one.

So Jesus starts speaking again, and just like in yesterday’s story, if I’m the campaign manager I’m asking him to stop. It seems like he wants to offend them.

He tells them that no prophet is accepted in his hometown. He then reminds them of a story they all know. It’s about Elijah. It was a time of severe famine. God could have sent Elijah to a nice Israelite family, but instead he sent him to a Gentile widow. And then he tells them about Elisha. There were many in Israel who had leprosy, yet God told Elisha to go heal a leper who lived in Syria.

You may hear this story and have no idea what Jesus is talking about. But those in the synagogue knew exactly what he is implying, and Luke says that they were furious with Jesus for saying these things. How furious were they? Well, they decided to try to kill him. That’s pretty furious. They drove him to the edge of the hill that the town was built on. They were going to push him off. We’re not exactly sure what exactly took place, but he walked through the crowd.

Again, I as the campaign manager want Jesus to stop saying these offensive things, but he needed to uncover their true hearts. Everything was great until he began reminding them that God’s plan includes people who don’t look like them. They didn’t like this. This too will be a theme woven through the stories ahead.