Mark 8:1-13 - Feeding the 4000

There are some who think the feeding of the 4000 is just a rehash of the feeding of the 5000. This a notion that has little to commend it. For one, the two incidents are placed quite close to each other and there is no reason why the gospel writers should report the same event twice. Moreover, Jesus Himself refers to two separate miracles. 

Once again Jesus is surrounded by crowds, and this time they have been with Him for three days. Now it is Jesus who presents His disciples with the question about what to do for the people. Maybe He is seeing if they have learnt anything from the previous miracle. When God does something in our lives we should not merely accept it and move on, instead we should learn from it so that we react differently the next time.

The disciples had not learnt anything. Jesus asks how many loaves they have. This time they have seven, so they are better resourced than last time!

Once again He gets the people organised and another miraculous food distribution occurs.

The Pharisees came and asked for a sign. This really makes you wonder. What more do they need to see!? Jesus gave them short shift.

Mark 7:31-37 - Healing a deaf and mute man

Jesus then left the area and went to the Sea of Galilee. P particular healing incident is mentioned. Now there were presumably numerous healings and/or exorcisms. So why is this particular one mentioned?

Some people brought the deaf and mute man and begged Jesus to place His hand upon him. In many cases people wanted Jesus to touch them. There is something about receiving a personal touch from Christ that help us to believe in Him.

Jesus took the man aside. He then spat and touched the man's tongue, and cried out to heaven. Now spitting is something we regard with distaste, but this was not necessarily so in Jesus' time.The man was completely healed. He could hear and he could speak clearly.

As was often the case Jesus told them not to tell anyone, but this was to no avail because the people were so amazed at what Jesus had done.

Mark 7:24-30 - Casting out a demon

Tyre was a Gentile city. As we have seen Jesus had been followed by crowds wherever He went and sought some privacy. This, as before, failed. A woman with a demon possessed daughter came to Him  and fell at His feet. There has been a lot of controversy in the past year or so over some cases of so-called exorcism of children. This is an area where we need to be very careful. Demons are real, and all people, young and old, can be affected. At the same time it is an area where abuse can also come in. So it is imperative that we act with all wisdom, love and respect for people.

The woman was Greek and she wanted Jesus to drive the demon out. Jesus' answer seems rather harsh to us. The "children" are the children of Israel, and His mission was first to the Jews, and only after that to go to the rest of the world. 

The woman answered almost cheekily, but also with faith. Jesus responded by healing her daughter. Note that He did this without involving the daughter directly at all and without any great show. While demons may sometimes create a big fuss, for the most part it should be a simple exercise of authority. Demons know who Jesus is, and they have to respond to His authority.

Notice also that Jesus was prepared to "overlook the rules" (ie Israel first) when confronted with faith.

Mark 7:1-23 - A heart condition

Jesus had caused a stir among the religious elite. Why was this? Because of the miracles He was doing, because crowds were flocking to Him, and because they recognised an authority in His teaching. So the religious leaders were forever sending fact-finding teams to find out just what was happening. However, their motivation was not to find out what they could learn, but to work out how best to stop Jesus.

They were looking for an excuse to condemn Jesus, and would do this through His disciples if necessary. They noted that the disciples did not follow the Pharisees' strict code of washing to maintain "ritual cleanliness". This practice was actually not found in the Law, but was a rule of man.

So in answering them Jesus turns their question into a challenge by quoting from Isaiah 29:3. Their hearts were far from God, and they tried to cover this up by lots of man-made laws. The Pharisees had "let go of God" and were holding to merely human rules. This is a very human trait, and all of us need to be on our guard against it.

Jesus then intensified the attack. The Law of God clearly taught that we should care for our parents, yet the Pharisees had invented a rule that by declaring something as "devoted to God". This sounded good, but in reality was a of avoiding providing for your parents. 

Again we see the insidious effect of legalism. We particularly need to be on our guard against this in regard to tithing. We can easily become legalistic in this area, and then our hearts become hardened.

Next Jesus turns to the crowds and teaches them. The truth is that it is the condition of the human heart that counts. Various foods etc have no effect on our spiritual well-being, on the condition of our soul. The source of evil is our heart, so it is our heart that needs to get sorted out.

Mark 6:45-56 - Out for a walk!

We now see another miracle and demonstration of Jesus' authority over nature. Jesus sent His disciples away while He went away to pray. Again we see Jesus reacting to situations by seeking His Father. In John 6 we read that the crowds wanted to make Jesus king. Jesus made sure that His life was influenced by His Father, not by men.

The disciples were in a boat going across the lake and a storm. Jesus went out to them walking on the lake. This is amazing, and is of course where our "walk on water" phrase comes from. The fact that Mark's version does not mention Peter's attempt, and partial success, to walk on water is evidence that Peter was a primary source for Mark. 

Folklore of the time said that of you saw a ghost at night then it was a sign of something bad about to happen. Hence the disciples' reaction. Jesus assures them that it is He and not a ghost. Mark draws attention to the previous miracle. So what was it that they did not understand? It is that Jesus has complete authority over nature and is not bound by normal laws. Their hearts were hardened. So again we see the Bible being completely honest about the state of its writers and their sins and failings.

When they reached the other side the crowds came again and many were healed.

Mark 6:30-44 - Feeding the 5000

This story appears in all four gospels and is one of the best known. The apostles had just returned from their "mission trip". They told Jesus all that they had done and taught. No doubt they were feeling rather pleased and excited, presumably having seen some people healed and others delivered, as well as giving Jesus' teaching. They may also have been rather tired.

As always the crowds were gathering around Jesus. Jesus was aware of the disciples' need for both rest and to feedback on how things had gone, and to receive from Him. So He told them to come with Him to a quite place. However, it proved impossible for them to get any peace, for the crowds saw them and followed them. 

Jesus was aware of His disciples' needs, but also had compassion for the people, who were "like sheep without a shepherd". So He taught them. Notice again the importance of teaching.

Later in the day the disciples came to Jesus and suggested that He send the people away. They wrapped this suggestion up in concern for the people, saying it was so they could go and get food. In reality this may well have just been an excuse.

Jesus had other ideas. He told the disciples to give the people something to eat. This, of course, was an impossible thing to do, humanly speaking. Jesus asked them what food they had, the answer was five loaves and two fish. Jesus then instructed them to get the people organised and to distribute the food. As we now know, everyone was fed and there was lots left over. 

Mark 6:14-29 - Beheaded

There is an excellent sermon on this passage by Pastor Fiona Stewart, it can be found here.

When we sin our thinking becomes distorted, largely because we know we have done wrong but we try and deny it. Herod, who had earlier had John the Baptist beheaded, knew he had done wrong. So when he heard about Jesus he feared that John had come back to life. This was ridiculous thinking. Ironically, he is about the only person in the gospels who seemed to believe in the resurrection!

Others had equally wacky ideas about who Jesus was, such as thinking He was Elijah or a prophet.

The reason Herod had John beheaded was that John had told Herod the truth about his immoral lifestyle. This is truly an example of "speaking truth to power" and shows the cost in doing so. Herod knew there was something special about John, and probably knew that he was speaking the truth. However, his "wife" wanted John dead. Herod was also fascinated by John, yet he was not prepared to make a commitment, not prepared to act on the truth.

So at the infamous banquet Herodias took the chance to trap Herod and John. Having made a rash promise, Herod was forced to agree to John being beheaded.

Science & Faith

An article of mine published on the Christians in Scottish Education website: Science & Faith

Mark 6:7-13 - Sending out the Twelve

Yet again we see the connection between teaching and "signs and wonders". Jesus went around teaching, as noted before He clearly saw this as a central part of His ministry. Then we see that He called the disciples to Himself and gave them authority over evil spirits. In the Bible there is no conflict between teaching and "signs and wonders". Teaching is the primary function, and it is served and backed up by the miracles side. We get things wrong if either we brush the supernatural side of things off to one side, or we place an undue prominence on the supernatural side. 

Jesus gave them authority. We are meant to serve as people under authority. When we are under authority we have authority. If we place ourselves under the authority of Jesus, then we have the authority of Jesus. Evil spirits are very real, but we have authority over them in Jesus name.

Jesus gave them two clear instructions. First, they were to travel light. Secondly they were to stay in the same place until the work was done, but if they were not welcomed, then they were to simply leave.

Now we must be careful to make a "law" out of Jesus' instructions on not taking money etc, but we also need to beware of over planning. We load up with so much junk that it stops us doing the actual work we were sent out to do. We make some provision, God makes all the provision. 

Some will welcome us, some will not. We need to accept the fact.

The disciples went out and preached repentance. Then yet again we see this being followed up with healings and casting out of demons. As far as the New Testament is concerned healings etc were a normal component of a teaching meeting!

Mark 6:1-6 - A prophet without honour.

Jesus returned to His hometown with His disciples. As was His custom He taught in the synagogue on the Sabbath. Notice again the emphasis Jesus placed on teaching. The people were amazed at His teaching.

They wondered how He managed to have such wisdom, and also how He managed to do the miracles. They then looked at His background. They knew Jesus, they knew His family, His job, so how could He do these things? So they took offense at Him. So His background seemed to count for more with them than the things He taught and the things He did.

While Jesus placed emphasis on teaching, He saw miracles as a natural accompaniment to them. 

Jesus knew that the people's reaction was normal, it was a typical human reaction. So Jesus was unable to do many miracles except heal a few sick people. Jesus was amazed at their lack of faith.

Mark 5:21-42 - Healings

Jesus returned to the west side and was once again met by a large crowd. Wherever He went large crowds came. One of the synagogue leaders came and fell at Jesus' feet. His daughter was dying and he pleaded with Jesus to come and lay hands on her so she would be healed. So Jesus went with him. Now as the incident recorded in Matthew with the centurion shows, Jesus did not actually need to lay hands on the girl, a simple word would have done. But Jesus is responding to faith. We need to beware of overcomplicating things. The key thing that the Lord looks for in our lives is faith.

Jairus would obviously be consumed with concern for his daughter, but other people had their own concerns  Many would just be there out of curiosity, others would have far lesser concerns than Jairus, and one woman did have a serious concern, her twelve years of bleeding. This woman thought that if she just touched Jesus' garment she would be healed. Again, the faith of the woman in Jesus is the key element. She did touch Jesus, and was indeed healed at once.

Jesus knew someone had touched Him and that healing power had gone out from Him. The disciples couldn't see the point of the question, thinking it was silly to ask it. Jesus is far more concerned about individuals than we are, and sees things that we do not see. Jesus called the woman. Why did He do this? She was healed. Perhaps He wanted to assure her that she was accepted as well, as the issue of blood would have prevented her from being involved in normal temple worship.

In the meantime people came from Jairus' house to announce that his daughter was dead. We need to beware of accepting people's verdicts on things! They will often proclaim failure when things are not over yet. Jesus reassures Jairus. Jesus went to the house, announced that the girl was sleeping and not dead. He touched the girl and commanded her to get up, which she did. Jesus could have meant either that she would not remain dead, or that she was not in fact dead. Either way, He restored her to fulness of life.

Mark 5:1-20 - Not knowing how to care

The east side of the lake was inhabited largely by Gentiles, which is why a large herd of pigs was found there, pigs being an unclean food for Jews. 

When Jesus got out of the boat a demon possessed man came to Him. This man lived among the tombs, he was uncontrollable, and he cried out night and day and self-harmed. The townspeople wanted nothing to do with him, and this would be our natural reaction as well. But Jesus was able to transform His life. When the Spirit of God is truly active in a church we will attract all sorts of people, including "undesirables" of all sorts, people rejected by society. So there are three things that happen here:

1. The "undesirable" is attracted to Jesus
2. Jesus welcomes him
3. Jesus restores him.

Sometimes we need to correct our attitudes in dealing with one and two, but I think that three (Jesus restoring him) is the key. The reason that, like the townspeople, we often don't want to have anything to do with "undesirables" is that we don't know how to restore them, how to help them. The motive often isn't "they're worthless, let's have nothing to do with them", but more often "we don't know/can't help them, let's have nothing to do with them". This is important, for sometimes preachers/teachers will rebuke churches or congregations accusing them of the first motive when this is not the real problem. People's apparently uncaring attitudes (and I am a person, so can be included in "people's") is often a reaction to not knowing how to care for someone.

Jesus did know how to help the man. Now this does not mean every person can be helped by a simple bit of exorcism (though some can), but this is what happened here. Demon possession (or demonisation) is real. So Jesus cast out the demons. 

See what happened to the man. He was dressed and in his right mind. This is the ministry of Jesus, to restore people's dignity. 

Mark 4:30-41 - Mustard seeds and storms

The mustard seed parable tells us that although the kingdom may start off small, it grows and increases in influence. As it says in Zechariah, do not despise the day of small things. Some see in "birds of the air" a reference to the nations finding a home in the kingdom. However, this may be reading too much into the parable, and it could just be emphasizing the size of the plant compared to the seed it started from.

When alone with the disciples Jesus explained the parables to them. We need to spend time with Jesus if we want to understand.

At the end of this chapter we get the "Jesus calms the storm" incident.  In the OT the power of God over the elements is seen as a crucial aspect of His power. So Jesus' authority over the waves is a crucial demonstration of His divinity. Like Jonah, Jesus was sleeping while the storm blew. Everyone else was terrified except Christ. 

Mark 4:26-29 - Growing Seed

The next parable is another seed sowing one, and quite a few of Jesus' parables related to farming. The reason for this is that His hearers would be familiar with farming stories.

Jesus draws attention to the fact that the seed grows whether the farmer sleeps or gets up. This helps us to get a proper perspective on things. If the farmer did not cultivate the land or sow the seed, then nothing would happen. However, though he has a vital part to play, there are limits to his influence. Some things happen regardless of what we do. The farmer is active again when the crop is ripe for harvest, and he then brings in the harvest.

So in life we have responsibilities and we need to carry out these responsibilities properly. However, we need to understand that the growth of the kingdom is not entirely dependent upon us, and there are things that happen that are beyond our understanding. In church life we need to do things in an orderly and sensible fashion, but no amount of planning or organisation will guarantee a harvest. Likewise, if we preach we should prepare the message well, and deliver it to the best of our abilities, but the end result is dependent upon God. If we forget this we can end up over-managing the church, or becoming manipulative in our preaching.

Mark 4:21-25 - Careful how you look

The truth is meant to be made known.  The kingdom is light to the world, Jesus is the light of the world, and we are also light to the world. Just as God spreads the word, He puts the light on a stand so that it can be seen. So He put Jesus on display so the truth can be seen, and He will put us, the church, on display so that we can be seen. Society is trying to snuff out the church, to make religion a purely private matter. God will not allow that to happen. The truth is meant to be on open display.

Several times Jesus says "if anyone has ears to hear, let him hear". We are to seek to understand and then to live the word of God.

We need to be careful with which eyes we view something, for it will colour what we see. If bitterness, greed, fear, hatred, or anxiety fill our thoughts, then we will not see the truth properly. All sorts of people read the Bible or hear parts of the message, and at times it seems that they see totally different things. We need to make sure that we use the right measure.

Mark 4:1-20 - Parable of the Sower

This is one the most famous of Jesus' parables. As such we need to beware of a tendency to read it too quickly, thinking that we have heard it all before.

Once again a large crowd had gathered, and Jesus got into a boat so that He could better address the crowd. Jesus used parables to teach the crowds. The "direct" method is not the only way of teaching, and is not always the best way. When speaking to non-believers an indirect approach may often be the most appropriate route to take.

In the parable of the sower the farmer scatters seed. Some falls on the path and is eaten up by the birds, some fell in rocky places. This seed grew quickly, but also died quickly. Other seed fell among thorns and was choked by the thorns when it grew. Finally some seed fell on good soil. This seed produced a crop of varying sizes.

His disciples asked about the parables. First Jesus tells them the reason for using parables, quoting from Isaiah 6:9,10. It might seem as if Jesus is being deliberately awkward, deliberately telling things in a way that will not be understood. However, it is probably better to see it as the parable revealing what is in a man's heart. If someone is rebellious against God then they will not understand.

Next Jesus addresses the disciples, seemingly surprised that they do not understand. Note that He has just said the secret of the kingdom had been given to them. So how did they learn? How did they get this understanding? They asked Jesus and He explained it to them. 

Sometimes the word is snatched away immediately by Satan, having no effect on the person. Others initially received the word with joy, but when trouble comes they quickly fall away. Note the implication that trouble will come. For others the worries of life, or the deceitfulness of wealth chokes the word. We need to be on our guard against worry, and being captivated by other things. Even so, there are some in whom the word produces a massive harvest.

Note that Jesus did not give this parable in order to tell us we should only sow on good soil!

Mark 3:22-34 - Accusations

Jesus' family thought He was out of His mind, and the teachers of the law tried to accuse Him of being demon possessed. Beelzebub is the prince of demons. It is derived from Baal-Zebul, meaning "exalted Baal", and Baal-Zebub was used as a term of mockery, meaning "Lord of Flies".

Jesus saw every attack on Him as a means of either attacking His opponents or as a teaching opportunity, or both. First He draws attention to the lack of logic in their argument. Why would the prince of demons be driving out demons? If this was happening then Satan's kingdom is truly collapsing. There is usually a fundamental flaw in the arguments used by atheists against Christianity. 

Conversely, it is entirely reasonable for the kingdom of God to cast out demons. Jesus had come to build the kingdom of God, to bring salvation. This involved saving individuals, as well as corporate salvation. So if an individual was to be saved and they were demonised, the demon needed to be kicked out.

Now He warns the teachers of the Law of the dangerous territory they are stepping on, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. All manner of sins can be forgiven, except blasphemy against the Spirit. So this raises the question of what blasphemy against the Spirit is. Verse 30 shows that here Jesus means attributing to Satan the work of God. 

His family had now arrived and wanted to bring Jesus to order! Jesus declares that He has a much wider family, and it consists of those who do the will of God.

Mark 3:7-21 - Twelve appointed

As before, after a dramatic incident Jesus withdrew, this time with His disciples. However, a large crowd followed them. The people came from a vast area. Jesus took practical steps by getting the disciples to ready a boat. Jesus' healing powers were the prime attractant. They believed that if they managed to touch Jesus they would be healed. The demons, or unclean spirits, recognised Jesus as well. When they saw Jesus they fell down and shouted out "You are the Son of God". Presumably this happened through people who were demonised falling down and shouting.

Jesus ordered the demons not to make His name known.

Jesus then went up a mountain and appointed His twelve disciples. His purpose was they they should be with Him and go out to preach. If you want to be a preacher than you need to spend time with Jesus. Otherwise you have nothing worth saying! He also gave them authority to cast out demons. Authority over demons is a key part of our armoury.

The twelve He chose were a mixed bunch, and, of course, included one who would betray Him.

Jesus then went home, but the crowds still followed. His own family though he was mad. It is amazing the neither the Pharisees nor His own family were able to see the truth of what was happening, or who Jesus was.

Mark 3:1-6 - Another Sabbath healing

Jesus seemed to do a lot of His miracles on the Sabbath, and it often caused controversy. This time there was a man with a shriveled hand in the synagogue. 

Some people, presumably religious leaders, were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus. When someone is doing the work of God there will always be those who oppose it and look for reasons to accuse the man or woman of God. 

See how Jesus dealt with the situation. He confronted the issue head on. Now this does not mean we should always tackle every controversy head-on, but there are times when we should. Today in the debates about sexuality and the Bible there is a distinct lack of clarity in much of what the church says. 

Here the overriding factor was that there was a man with a shriveled hand. Then Jesus asked His would-be accusers what the purpose of the Sabbath was. As far as God was concerned the purpose was to do good, to bring life. When we become legalistic we quickly forget the true purpose of God. 

So Jesus brought the man to the front and healed him in front of them all.

The reaction of the Pharisees was to plot with the Herodians about how to kill Jesus, rather than rejoicing in the miracle and wondering how this salvation might help them.

Mark 2:23-28 - Sabbath (1)

In Ruth we read about Ruth picking up the gleanings from the fields. It was perfectly legitimate for people to pick up grain from the edges of the fields (Deut 23:25), what upset the Pharisees is that the disciples were doing this on the Sabbath, and under their definitions this constituted work.

Jesus refers them to an incident in David's life. He chose this incident because it involved David, who was greatly respected in Judaism. Indeed the Messiah was to be a son of David. Also the incident was recorded in the Scriptures. David and his companions committed what was, if anything, an even worse crime. They ate bread that was consecrated and should only have been eaten by the priests. Notice also that Jesus is implicitly bringing Himself into the picture here. The Pharisees had criticised His disciples, but the real target was Jesus Himself. In talking about "David and his companions" Jesus is bringing Himself into the matter. 

In His parting words in this incident Jesus bring Himself even more into the picture. He attacks the whole Pharisaical understanding of the Sabbath, and declares Himself to be the Lord of the Sabbath. The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. God did not give the Sabbath law in order to impose a burden on people, but as a day for bringing refreshment to man. This teaches us so many things about interpreting the Bible properly, and warnings about our human tendency to make things legalistic (it was not just the Pharisees who were prone to this). On a literalistic interpretation of the Bible one would be inclined to side with the Pharisees, but Jesus says they were wrong and had misunderstood Scripture. When we get hold of a Scripture and turn it into a legalistic law we turn what should be a source of life into a well of death.

Mark 2:18-22 - New Wine

In Jesus' time the Pharisees fasted twice a week, there were also several yearly fasts. John the Baptist's disciples also apparently followed fasting. However, Jesus' disciples did not fast. 

Jesus answered by saying that the times were like guests being with the bridegroom. It was unthinkable to fast at such a time. However, they would fast in the future. Moreover, we get the first hint of what was going to happen in the future with Jesus being taken away from them. When we follow religious practices we just get into a rut in following them, being totally blind to all other things that are going on. Fasting was not wrong, but now was not the time to fast.

The Pharisees needed to realise that a new day was dawning. New wine needed to be poured into new wineskins. Patching up old wineskins or pouring new wine into old wineskins would not work. In the same way when Jesus comes into our life He does not come just to patch up our old life, or to fit in where He can. We are born again, we need to completely rethink our life.

Mark 2:13-17 - Saving sinners

Lakes were obviously good places for meeting people and speaking to crowds. As always Jesus began to teach them. Walking along He met Levi, a tax collector. Levi is Matthew, Levi being his given name and Matthew his Greek name. Levi was at a booth where taxes would be collected, possibly a toll booth on the international road that ran from Damascus to Egypt. Jesus commanded Levi to follow Him.

Jesus had dinner with Levi, and so many of Levi's friends and acquaintances were there. Getting to know one person in a particular group can often act as a doorway to getting to know others. The "sinners" were those who were considered generally undesirable and beyond the pale. 

Jesus eating with these undesirables, and tax-collectors were held in contempt as well, produced disdain from the Pharisees. How could a supposed man of God eat with people who did not uphold the Law?

Jesus heard their mutterings and declared that He had come to save sinners, not the righteous. There are two sides to this statement. One is that reaching society's undesirables is a key part of the mission. The other is that we are all "sinners", meaning not just that we have sinned, but on our own merits we are just as undesirable as those we hold in contempt.

Mark 2:1-12 - Forgiveness and healing

Capernaum was Peter's home and Jesus may have made this a sort of base. When He returned the people had not forgotten what He had done, and so the crowds gathered in great numbers. True to His mission, Jesus preached the word to them. 

Some men had brought a paralysed friend with them. They had come with the express intention of getting Jesus to heal their friend. Houses of the time typically had an outside flight of stairs that led up to a flat clay roof. So they took their friend up there and made a hole in the roof. 

There are two notable things about Jesus' reaction. First He commends them on their faith. The fact that they had just made a hole in the roof is overlooked. Jesus is more interested in our faith than a whole lot of other things we do. Secondly, rather than healing the man immediately He declares that his sins are forgiven.

This forgiveness would have shocked all concerned. First, the teachers of the Law accused Him of blasphemy. Even the Messiah was not allowed to forgive sins, only God Himself. So Jesus is claiming equality with God. 

Then there is the paralysed man and his friends. Probably he (or at least his friends) were somewhat disappointed. They had brought him to be healed, not forgiven. Actually forgiveness is our greatest need, moreover it is the harder thing to achieve. Jesus could heal with a single word or touch, in order to obtain our forgiveness He had to go to the cross. So Jesus then does heal the man to demonstrate that He did indeed have the authority to heal.

Mark 1:40-45 - Healing a man with leprosy

The word leprosy may cover various skin diseases, not just what is medically defined as leprosy. Nonetheless, leprosy was a serious matter. The disease itself is nasty, and under the Law a person with leprosy was "unclean".  The person with leprosy was treated as an outcast, so he asks Jesus to make him clean "if you are willing".

Now all this raises a number of questions. We naturally recoil from the idea that someone with a disease should be treated as "unclean". Instead we consider it Christian (or even just humanity) to try and help the person, though our actions may not always match up to our sentiments.

So where does this leave the Law? I don't have a complete answer, but the following might help. The Law is describing how things should be, and in God's perfect kingdom there should be and will be no sickness. Now our human reaction to this is then to think that the Law provides the means of salvation, and this was the problem with Jews. Instead the Law is pointing out the problem, it is not the solution.

Jesus then shows us how we should react. First He touches the man, then He heals him. The Law pointed out the problem, Jesus provides the solution.

Why was Jesus indignant? Probably because of the totally wrong attitude that people had to the Law, and how this then affected and hurt other people.

Jesus told the man not to tell people, but just to go to the priests, so that they could see that he was now clean. However, the man did not obey Jesus and so Jesus was unable to enter a town openly.

Mark 1:35-39 - I came to preach

This was the morning after the healings and deliverances had happened and the crowds had been coming. Jesus knew that He needed to be with His Father. We go through all sorts of things in life: highs, lows and everything in-between. In all this it is the Lord who is our strength and our source of life. So we need to maintain contact with Him, to make sure we do not get carried away, or weighed down by the events of life.

Simon and the others were surprised at how Jesus was reacting. When we are walking in step with the Spirit others will not understand all that we do.

Jesus tells them that He wants them to go somewhere else so that He can preach, for "that is why I have come". So again we get a Biblical perspective on the place and role of miracles. Miracles should happen and should be a part of the life and ministry of the church (they were in Jesus' life, and continued to be so), but they are not the primary focus. Jesus came to preach the good news. So we see also the value, importance and power of preaching. People needed to hear the good news.

So Jesus traveled around preaching the good news and casting out demons.

Mark 1:29-34 - Healing and Delivering

After leaving the synagogue they went to the home of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Simon's mother-in-law was there and was ill. Jesus healed her. When we invite Jesus into our home His influence comes with Him, and it affects all our family.

The news of Jesus' healing people and casting demons out had obviously spread around the neighbourhood and so many people came with their sick and demon-possessed friends and relatives. When genuine miracles and signs are happening there is no need to advertise the fact, the news spreads naturally.

Jesus healed many sick people and drove out many demons. Healing and deliverance can be topics of controversy in the church. As always, the Bible gives a more balanced view and gets to the heart of the matter, cutting through many of our trivial and misguided human debates. On the one hand, when the power of God is truly at work there is no need whatsoever to hype the miracles. It is not a show. On the other hand, when people brought the sick and troubled to Jesus He healed and delivered them. Jesus is perfectly happy to heal and deliver people, and there is no reason to think His character has changed!

Mark 1:16-28 - Disciples come, demons go

We see now the calling the of the first disciples. If we read related passages in other gospels, particularly John 1:35-42 and Luke 5:1-11 we see that this was not the first time that they had met Jesus. So the impression that this was the first time they had met Jesus and they immediately followed Him is actually wrong. However, after knowing a certain amount about Jesus they did follow Him immediately. God often works by revealing something of Himself to us, then He requires that we make a step of faith, but it is not blind faith, but faith based on knowledge. James and John were called at about the same time.

The purpose of calling them was to make them fishers of men. We have been called with a purpose, and that purpose is to bring people into the kingdom.

A synagogue could be established in any town that had at least ten married Jewish couples. At Capernaum Jesus went to the synagogue on the Sabbath and began to teach. There was something different about Jesus' teaching, He had authority. 

Then a man with an evil spirit shouted up. Evil spirits know who Jesus is, but, as James says (James 2:19), they respond with fear and trembling. They knew that a spiritual battle was in progress. Jesus had come to overturn the works of the evil one (1 John 3:8).

Jesus rebuked the demon and commanded it too come out of the man. The people were amazed and news spread about Jesus.

Mark 1:9-15 - Jesus starts His ministry

Mark gets right down to the action, giving virtually no details on what Jesus did before His public ministry started, apart from the fact that He spent the time in Nazareth.

Similarly, he just states that Jesus was baptised by John without any preamble. However, Mark does state that the Spirit descended upon Jesus like a dove, and that a voice from heaven declared that He was God's Son and God was well pleased with Him. The role of the Spirit is one of the many key features in Mark's gospel, as is the Sonship of Christ.

Then we read that the Spirit led Jesus out into the desert for forty days, where He was tempted by Satan. Mark gives none of the details that Matthew and Luke give, but does mention that He was with wild animals and that angels attended Him. Even in times of trials we can expect God to send angels to help us. We may not always see them, and it will often not mean that we are spared the trial, but God will provide the strength for us to get through the trials.

After John was put in prison Jesus began His preaching. Jesus also preached repentance. He also announced that the Kingdom was near, and called on people to believe the good news that the Kingdom was near. This is the good news, that God's kingdom is at hand. It is possible for anyone to enter into God's kingdom, and the way in is through repentance and faith.

Mark 1:4-8 - John the Baptist

Mark starts his actual presentation of the gospel with John the Baptist. Interestingly, this is also how Peter started in Acts 10:37.  Mark sees John as the fulfillment of the prophecies he has just quoted, ie he is God's messenger and is preparing the way.

John preached a baptism of repentance. At the time Gentile converts to Judaism had to undergo baptism, but it was new for Jewish people. So John was proclaiming a new day in God's dealings with the world, starting with the Jews. It is significant that the Jews themselves needed to take a new step to become part of this new day. The step they had to take was repentance. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), so the Jews, along with everyone else, needed to repent.

However, this message itself was not new. The prophets had been preaching repentance for hundreds of years! 

John preached in the wilderness. Now if we were starting a mission campaign this is not where we would go! Instead we would start in the city, but God does many of His key dealings with people in the desert. Despite the location and the call for baptism, many people went out to John. There had been a dearth of prophecy since the time of Malachi, so the news of a new prophet would have attracted people.

The camel hair and wild honey are reminiscent of Elijah. Malachi speaks of God sending Elijah (Mal 4:5,6).

John knew that he was pointing the way forward to one greater than himself. He also knew that a far greater baptism was coming, baptism with the Holy Spirit.

Mark 1:1-3 - Beginnings

Genesis starts with "In the beginning God ...", Mark starts his gospel with "The beginning of  the good news...", so maybe there is an allusion to Genesis here. The good news marks a new beginning, as Paul says, we are a new creation if we are in Christ. 

"Good news" is the literal translation of "gospel". The good news is about Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Messiah means Christ or Anointed One. In the Old Testament kings, priests and prophets were anointed. All three ministries are encapsulated in Christ. He is the king of kings, He proclaimed the word of God (indeed He is the word of God), and He is the great high priest.

The first of the two quotations from the Old Testament actually comes from Malachi 3:1, while the second comes from Isaiah 40:3. Isaiah is the major prophet, hence Mark says "as it is written in Isaiah".

These two prophets cover two different aspects of Christ's ministry. Malachi speaks of judgement, whereas the passage from Isaiah speaks of mercy. In Christ we find both aspects. In the temple He expelled the money changers, He had many severe words to say about the Pharisees and other religious leaders. Then, of course we saw Jesus displaying great mercy, the supreme example being on the cross.

Mark - Introduction

The book doesn't actually state who wrote it, but right from the earliest times in church history it was attributed to John Mark, who is mentioned in Acts (eg Acts 12:12,25,27). Mark worked closely with the apostle Peter, and the gospel is based on Peter's experience of Jesus, possibly based on Peter's preaching, and arranged by Mark. 

The date of the gospel is placed at various times from the 40's AD to just before the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70. When we speak of dates for gospels it is important to remember that the material the gospel is based upon comes from earlier times, often eye witnesses of Jesus.

The gospel was probably written in Rome and for Roman or at least Gentile Christians. There are several occasions where Mark explains Jewish customs.

Mark is the shortest of the gospels, and almost all of Mark us found in the other synoptic gospels. 

The shortness and directness of Mark is perhaps reflective of Peter's character! As with all the gospels there is an emphasis on the cross. There are important teachings on discipleship, and Jesus' wider teachings. The destruction of Jerusalem receives an important section (chapter 13). Jesus as Messiah and Son of God are important too.

Ruth 4 - All is settled

The town gate was like the town hall or market place and is where business and legal matters were often settled. Boaz met with the "family guardian" and had ten elders as witnesses, so everything was clearly above board.  Boaz related the events of what had happened with Naomi and Ruth. 

There are two possibilities with redeeming the land. One is that Naomi was so hard up that she needed to sell it. The other, and I think the more likely, is that the land had already been sold during the time of famine. Now when land was sold the original family could redeem it, but Naomi could not afford to do this. So her family then had the right to do this.

The "family guardian" was willing to do this, but Boaz then mentions that this would mean taking Ruth as well to maintain the family name. Then the guardian is not keen to take the land. So Boaz redeemed the land and took Ruth as his wife. So everything was done properly.

Ruth and Boaz had a child who was to be the father of Jesse who in turn was the father of David. 

The book closes with a short genealogy of David.

This book emphasises the importance of family, and not just the nuclear family.