Mark 6:14-29 Love Not Lust

Love or rather lust can really lead one astray. Have you ever promised someone that you thought you were in love with something and then found yourself backed in a corner having to do something you know you ought not be doing?

That's Herod's story. He married his brother's wife, which he ought not have done in the first place. That man, John, whom Herod understands to be a holy man, lets him know that he has done wrong. Herod's wife is embarrassed by John and wants his head. So, she tricks King Herod into promising to have John beheaded by having her daughter dance for him. Isn't there inherently something wrong with having your daughter dance for your husband to please him? But, King Herod is pleased and has put himself into the position of being embarrassed by John or embarrassed by his wife. He follows through with his promise to his wife. John is killed and his head served up on a platter.

True love would not call a man to do something that goes against his conscience. But, lust will. Lust for his brother's wife; lust for his brother's wife daughter; lust will get us into all kinds of predicaments that we would have preferred to avoid.

Another famous biblical character that got himself into a whole lot of trouble over lust for a woman was Samson. He was to be a savior for his people; but, driven by lust, he ended up betrayed by the woman he thought he loved and who he thought loved him.

There is a definite difference between love and lust. Love does no harm to others. It certainly does not end in the death of our loved one's enemies to satisfy our loved one's egos.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Mark 6:1-13 Pigs or Jesus?

 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”
 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.”  And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area. (Mark 5:6-10 NIV)

It seems to be that in the Gospel of Mark, it is the demons who recognize Jesus. They recognize that he is the Son of God and has power over them. They beg him to allow them to enter into a herd of about 2000 pigs. This herd of about 2000 then rush over a steep bank and drown themselves in a lake.

You would think, the people would be happy that these 2000 demons were no longer in their presence. They were no longer torturing the man that they had come out of. But, no! They are not happy. They want Jesus to go away. The man who was healed of the demons is pretty happy though. He recognizes who this Jesus is and he wants to follow him. Jesus said no. "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." (Mark 5:19)

The demons recognize the power of God in Jesus and are afraid. The man who was healed recognized his power and honored him, wanting to follow him. But, the people who were afraid because personal property, pigs, were lost wanted nothing to do with him.  

When was the last time we chose unclean personal property over Jesus?

God's Peace - Pr. J

Mark 4:35-41 Jesus Stills All Storms

When we are faced with seemingly over-powering obstacles, we might wonder why God would allow these bad things to happen to us. We might even wonder if God has deserted us completely. Be assured, He has not left us. In fact, in the story of Jesus getting into the boat with the disciples that we read today, the storm does not begin until Jesus gets in to the boat with them and takes a nap.

They wake him, fearful for their lives. He proceeds to command the wind and the waves to "Quiet! Be still!" (Mark 4:39 NIV) Our Savior has power over even the wind and the waves. Be not alarmed. Have faith. God is with you in every time of trial. The storm will pass! Jesus has power over all storms!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Mark 4:21-34 How Does Your Garden Grow

How does your garden grow? With light... It needs sunlight.

It has been a very long, cold winter here in the U.P.. Most days we've seen below 0 (F) temperatures and there have been very few days that have been above freezing. We have spent a lot of time indoors staying warm so we have not had the benefit of much sunlight. Many of us are feeling the result of that. Each day we grow in some direction; but, without the benefit of the light of the sun or Son in which direction are we growing?

Do not hide the light which is needed for fruitful growth. Rather, let the light of Christ shine on and in and through you, so that the Body of Christ, here in this place, might grow like the mustard seed "when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.” (Mark 4:32 NIV)

Do not hide the light under a bowl or a bed; but, let it shine! And, may the light of Christ shine upon you and all of your neighbors.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Mark 4:1-20 Planting

My first garden, years ago, was a travesty. Well, not totally, a few things grew. But, my cucumbers, which grew to full size were orange. It was just weird. I found there were a couple of problems that I had not considered. First, there was not enough drainage as the garden was at the bottom of a slope and second; the soil was not good for cucumber growth. That was my last year for cucumbers in North Carolina.

For good growth there must be a good start. The ground must be just right to receive the seeds and help them to grow. There must be enough water, but not too much and there must be enough sunlight and, again, not so much that they burn and die.

And, so, we have the parable of the sower. I am always astounded when people tell me their children have never been in a church. They want them to make their own choices of religion when they grow up. I'm thinking this is an excuse given mostly by people in whom the seed has not been placed in fertile ground in the first place, My concern is that if they do not prepare their children to receive the Word as adults, they will be like the path where once the seed has been planted, the birds will eat it up. Or, like the thorny or rocky places where plants do not grow well. There is a chance, a small chance, that they will grow; but, odds are against it.

Like the garden that I planted without much forethought; so parents who do not plan ahead and give their children fertile ground to grow in, the fruit will not be what we hope for. I have known full grown adults who have never been to a worship service - not in their whole lives. And, they are genuinely afraid to enter because they do not know what to expect. I have just never figured out how anyone could think that their children will be able to make a real choice, if the parents do not even begin to teach them what their choices are when they are young.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Mark 3:7-35 House Divided

Will demons kick out demons?

As the people flocked to Jesus and were healed and exorcised of their demons, they recognized who this Jesus was. They would cry out: "You are the Son of God." (Mark 3:11)  Jesus has the authority to remove demons. He also gave this authority over demons to his twelve disciples.

Yet, the teachers of the law accuse him of being possessed himself. They say, "He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons." So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house." (Mark 3:22-27)

Why indeed would Satan destroy his own house? It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that demons fall and run. (see vs. 28) Jesus has been anointed by this Spirit. His disciples, also have been given authority, in the Spirit. What is evil is all around us. Do you stand in the Spirit so that the evil will fall or run? Or do you accept it as something that is just because it is? The devil has no power over us; the demons have none; except that we allow evil to enter into our lives by denying the power of God.

A house divided cannot stand. Is your house divided between God and Satan? Do you allow God into some parts of your life and Satan into other? Stand, in the name of Jesus, who is the Son of God, before all evil that threatens you and your house.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Mark 3:1-6 - Sabbath Healing

So what exactly is lawful to do on the Sabbath? Jesus and the leaders in the church were having a bit of a go-a-round in the last part of chapter two and the first part of this chapter regarding the Sabbath. He dares to heal a man of a shriveled hand in the synagogue on the Sabbath.

I note, with joy, that this was done in the synagogue. He was not neglecting to worship the LORD or study His word. He was there in the synagogue on the Sabbath. He didn't say, I can do whatever pleases me on the Sabbath; rather, he reminds us of the commandment that "thou shalt not kill." This includes not killing on the Sabbath. And... what does "thou shalt not kill" mean? According to what we teach our children in confirmation classes, from the Small Catechism, it means: "We should fear and love God so that we do our neighbors no bodily harm nor cause them any suffering, but help and befriend them in every need." The Pharisees, you see, would have a person hungry, or sick, or dying; rather than have one of the heaps of ordinances the church had created to regulate the Sabbath observance, broken. Their written laws and traditions were placed above the spirit of the law.

When we regulate or manipulate the law in such a manner that it does not leave us room to do God's will and serve our neighbors in need, we are indeed breaking the spirit of the law. Jesus was once asked what the greatest commandment was. “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29:31 NIV) In our reading today, we see an example of how Jesus did both.

May God grant that we should follow in the footsteps of Jesus, worrying less about the letter of the law and more about the spirit of the law, which is loving God; as well as our fellow man.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Mark 2:18-27 Fasting and Eating

Jesus addresses the accusations of not fasting and eating grain that was picked on Sunday be his disciples. His response reminds us that there is a time for everything. His disciples did not fast because he (the bridegroom) was with them. They, in a sense, were newly married. One hardly expects a newly married couple to put on sack cloth and fast, do we? No, rather we expect that they are celebrating their time together. There is a time to fast and a time to celebrate. Human traditions (laws) are not necessarily the greatest guidelines for when these things should happen.

The same goes for the disciples picking some heads of grain to eat on the Sabbath. Would the LORD, who was willing to die for us, really desire that we should go hungry, insisting that we not walk through a field and pick some heads of grain for sustenance - in order to keep tradition? I believe the command was to rest on the Sabbath. But, what does rest mean? I've actually had people tell me that since they are commanded to "rest" on the Sabbath they are sleeping in instead of attending worship. Or maybe they will golf or fish instead? That's rest to some. The reality is that it was the church who came up with all the specific do's and don't do's of the Sabbath.

Personally, I find the "rest" that does me the most good and refreshes me for another week is spending time in God's presence, in His house, with His people, worshipping Him. “The Sabbath was made for man; not man for the Sabbath." The Sabbath, the day of rest, was made for you;" (vs 27)  that you might rest and be refreshed by the power of Almighty God. Take advantage of this gift, celebrate His love, so that you might live life, empowered by His Word and His Spirit.

See you in a few hours at Worship where we can be refreshed by His Word and Sacrament together.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Mark 2:1-17 - Your Sins Are Forgiven; Rise; Live Life

On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17 NIV)

We've all been there; feeling down, feeling sick, more like sin sick. The guilt that can come with knowing that you have sinned; knowing that you have damaged another human being can drag us down not just spiritually, but physically as well. When times like this present themselves; there is nothing more healing than hearing these words, "You are forgiven." Your sins are forgiven. The debt is erased. Pick yourself up and live life.

Jesus is criticized for healing the paralyzed man with these words: "Your sins are forgiven." "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." Jesus is criticized, not for healing the man; but, for daring to declare that he has been forgiven.

Jesus' mission, here on earth, was to forgive us our sins, so that we might be made whole and reconciled to God our Father on earth and in heaven. We are forgiven so that we might live abundant life in the presence, in the kingdom, of God.

I'm thinking that there are not too many congregations in the world today who do not recognize that Jesus came to heal us sinners, not to patronize those who think and act as though they are without sin. But, then again, there may be a few congregations left who think in this manner and Jesus came to heal them as well. After all, thinking that we may be without sin and in need of forgiveness, is a form of sickness, in itself.

Such few words, but for the sin-sick soul they bring such relief; such healing; such wholeness. Your sins are forgiven you. Rise up and walk. Rise up and live the life that God has given you through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord.

Pr. J