A repost today.
In Mark 7, Mark recounts the story of the Pharisees challenging Jesus about his disciples having unclean hands, and the story of the Gentile woman who comes to Jesus wanting healing for her daughter.
Here’s what we said as we studied those stories about “clean and unclean” in Matthew 15:
Starting in Mark 4:35 and going through the end of Chapter 5, Mark relates four stories. Though brief, they paint an amazing picture of incredible things that Jesus is doing. In the first story, Mark shares the question that his disciples were asking:
“Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Mark 4:41
By the end of Chapter 5, that question is even more relevant. Below is the quick tour; see what you’re asking by the end.
Last year, I started a bunch of vegetable seeds inside the house in the early spring to later transplant into our garden. I had several of the black trays that each contain multiple pots. I filled each pot with soil – really good, expensive potting soil from the garden center. I then followed up with a seed for each pot – well, mostly I did. You see, each of those pots looked exactly the same after they were filled with dirt. Even after a seed was put in a pot and covered with dirt, it looked the same as all the others. The job was pretty monotonous, and after a while my mind started to wander. From time to time, I’d realize I’d lost track of which pot I put the last seed in. I’d guess at which pot should receive the next seed… and I missed a few.
Funny thing. No matter how good the soil was, nothing grew in the pots that had no seed.
There are all kinds of obstacles to ministry. Resource obstacles, like a lack of needed financial resources. External obstacles, like governmental regulations. People are sometimes obstacles, too. Sometimes those are the hardest obstacles to overcome.
Especially when the people who are an obstacle are those closest to us.
Jesus had to face that kind of obstacle in his ministry. Jesus had to make some choices about how to deal with those obstacles, and get on with his ministry.
N.T.Wright “The whole sweep of Scripture” from Rodica on Vimeo.
via @RunMichael
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February 20, 2012 in
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Mark has already told his readers that Jesus is the Son of God, and he’s done a pretty good job of backing that up in what he showed in Chapter 1. John the Baptist pointed the way to him. God himself said Jesus was his son. Even the demons knew who he was and called him the Holy One of God. Then there’s the healing, the authoritative teaching, and the power over the demons.
Not everyone that Jesus encounters accepts who he is, though.
In Mark Chapter 2 and the first part of Chapter 3, there are five stories, all of which show growing opposition. In the course of that opposition, Mark poses another question that we need to consider.
