Mark 4:35-41 - The WORD Calms the Chaos - Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

Mark 4:35-41 NIV

³⁵ That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” ³⁶ Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. ³⁷ A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. ³⁸ Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

³⁹ He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

⁴⁰ He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

⁴¹ They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

The WORD Calms the Chaos

This IS a miracle! Jesus was crossing the Sea of Galilee and going towards Gentile territory. In the barrier, this Sea of Galilee, in between the Jews and the Gentiles, we have water. Water, soon to be stormy, chaotic water. And then, with the WORD, the water calms in the midst of the chaos of the lives of Jesus’ disciples.

Oh, how verse 35 reminds me of a dream I had of Jesus coming to visit my house on Washington St. in Sidney Ohio.

³⁵ That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 

Just a bit of the verse, floods back this memory of mine. Jesus asks for his disciples to go over to the other side. In my dream, Jesus bids me “Can Billy come out to play?”

I have since, attempted to live out this dream in my life, each and every day. I have evaluated my actions against this dream as they occur. I have failed and I have succeeded to hear Jesus’ call.  I have failed and I have succeeded to trust and obey. It’s been a mixed bag, for me.

Anyway, my point here, is that Jesus always bids us to go. Jesus bids us to follow, to trust in His direction. This discipleship of Jesus is a restless movement. It’s a mission to follow Jesus.

We must be ready to leave the crowd and walk the path Jesus calls us to walk. Can we walk to the cross of Jesus? “Can Billy come out to play!”

But look at Jesus demeanor.  Jesus is asleep! In the midst of the storm, Jesus sleeps! Jesus’ entire demeanor, displays a posture of trust in God.

But then, look at the disciples. Sure, we are perishing. But the WORD and Jesus far outreach human fears. The WORD proclaims to have faith and believe! Stop living in fear!

You see, fear is real! Fear can become panic! So, pray! But…

God does not share our fear and panic. In our prayer, forget about telling God about fear and panic. Rather…

In our prayer, allow God to speak His calm to us.

This calm is God’s POWER!

Jesus stills the storms of fear and panic. When your mind and life is churned up with the troubles we confront on all levels; turn and see the still, calm, waters of the love of Jesus. You see, this world and this life are in the hands of God. Turn back to God in your sinfulness, in your storms, in your pain, in your addiction, in your illness, in the midst of your death. Turn to God and rely and place your trust in Jesus. For, this stormy life is temporary. Life here and now, in this place, is temporary. Life with God, is permanent and forever. Turn to God and live. Trust in God and rely on Him.

 In verse 41 we read:

⁴¹ They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Who is this, that the water obeys?

Genesis 1:2, 6-9 NIV

² Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

⁶ And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” ⁷ So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. ⁸ God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

⁹ And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so.

Job 38:8-11 NIV

⁸ “Who shut up the sea behind doors
    when it burst forth from the womb,
⁹ when I made the clouds its garment
    and wrapped it in thick darkness,
¹⁰ when I fixed limits for it
    and set its doors and bars in place,
¹¹ when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;
    here is where your proud waves halt’?

Isaiah 51:10 NIV

¹⁰ Was it not you who dried up the sea,
    the waters of the great deep,
who made a road in the depths of the sea
    so that the redeemed might cross over?

Jeremiah 5:22 NIV

²² Should you not fear me?” declares the Lord.
    “Should you not tremble in my presence?
I made the sand a boundary for the sea,
    an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
    they may roar, but they cannot cross it.

Who is this we ask? This IS God, the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. This IS God. This IS God the creator. This IS the God of your salvation.  Humble yourself in the presence of God’s awesome works of creation and love. Commend yourself to God, even when the going is tough.

Yes, in this trust and faith Billy comes out to play and to follow Jesus in trust. I’ll fall down day after day, but I have a friend that will pick me up, dust me off, and call me to continue on, today, tomorrow and forever. Thank you, Jesus!

How about you?

May God bless you today and always.

I leave you with a song my grand-daughter, Kaiya, liked as she attended a Week of Mission last week serving together with other youth. These kids followed Jesus out that door to play…

Reckless Love

Enjoy 

The Joy of the Sickle - Mark 4:26-34 - Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

 

Mark 4:26-34 NIV

²⁶ He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. ²⁷ Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. ²⁸ All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. ²⁹ As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

³⁰ Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? ³¹ It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. ³² Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”

³³ With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. ³⁴ He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

The Joy of the Sickle

Sometimes the Gospel message comes with some perfect timing. Sometimes the message moves me beyond myself to see God working. Sometimes I grow and don’t even realize the growth or even try to make growth happen.

Mysterious words, I know. The Kingdom of God grows rapidly. But it’s a slow strong growth. The Kingdom of God’s growth, to me, is a mystery. The Kingdom of God’s growth does not depend on human work or power. The work is all the work of God, not man or anything else.

Look back at the passage of Scripture. Once the “Seed” is planted, it is then that the Kingdom gets real! But the odd part is to realize that the Kingdom of God has always been here, it is here now, and yet the Kingdom will come to be fulfilled.  The Kingdom of God, is past, present, future and always. That’s something that is hard to grasp as a man.

In the Second Petition of the Lord’s Prayer, we say, “Thy kingdom come.”

Here is Luther’s Explanation from the Small Catechism…

What does this mean?

God’s kingdom comes indeed without our praying for it, but we ask in this prayer that it may come also to us.

When does this happen?

God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us his Holy Spirit, so that by his grace we believe his holy Word and live a godly life on earth now and in heaven forever.

So, God’s kingdom comes without any works of my own. God freely gives me and all baptized the Holy Spirit so that by God’s grace… Grace freely given… we may believe God’s Word here on earth and in heaven forever.

Do you see it? It’s not my work or my faith that I conjure up a belief that leads me into God’s kingdom. It’s by God’s grace, freely given to me and God’s Word freely handed down that God brings and gives me belief. And there is that seed. That Seed of God in God’s Word. God’s Word made flesh in the form of God in Jesus, freely given to all mankind that we may believe.

The Kingdom comes from God not from mankind. God’s Kingdom WILL come, that’s for sure, but realize; mankind can do nothing to force the Kingdom of God to come. The coming of God’s Kingdom to you, to me, to all the world is both personal and corporate.  In the coming of the Kingdom of God, we must trust God, because our trust is in the grace of God, which we rely on.

Think about the creation. Man can not create. God creates. But, in God’s creation there is nothing automatic without God. God provides the faith we need in God to repent of our sinfulness. What sinfulness? Our sinfulness to attempt to assume control from God and even with God. God creates for us. God doesn’t need us to create for Him. God calls us to turn from our evil desires to become a god. God calls us to turn from ourselves and our selfish desires of power, prestige and control, to face God and repent and return to God’s love for us as His perfect creation. God calls us to repent and bear the fruit in which God intended for us to bring forth all along.

As you can see in verse 28 in the Gospel passage… the words of Jesus…

²⁸ All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 

Nature’s Laws are really God’s Laws. Growth happens by the power of God.

And we see that there are stages to growth for the Christian disciple. So, don’t try to push this growth with your own efforts. This growth is the work of the Holy Spirit, not you! Let the grain, the stalk, the head and the full kernel in the head happen. You don’t have any control of this happening anyway. Your life will grow at the Holy Spirit’s pace set just for you. Let God work in and through you. This is not your choice. This is the work of God.

And then! Look at verse 29!

 ²⁹ As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

How cool is that! We often think of the sickle as something horrible about to happen. NO! Here the sickle is a wonderful, good happening. This is the JOY of the sickle. For with the sickle, God gathers the fruit. That’s the very fruit, that the Holy Spirit has brought to life in and through the disciple! God gathers a harvest of discipleship for God and for one another. Why?

Well, let’s turn to the mustard seed. Look! Everywhere the mustard seed of God is growing through the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Look at Paul’s life, at Luther’s life, the life of Christian disciples all over this world. From this seed of “Jesus,” this seed of the “Word,” this seed of the Kingdom of God comes abundant growth and fruit to spread the Gospel and love of God that God has shown through Jesus for all mankind.  The Gospel has spread and continues to spread, day after day after day after day!

So, what about the personal love of Jesus? Jesus cares about the corporate spread of the Gospel as well as the personal spread of the Gospel in the individual life of the disciple. Jesus also cares about the quality of your life. Jesus cares about the quality of the life of the disciple, of you. Jesus loves you on a personal level and gathers us all in and you in with that awesome sickle of joy to be with Him in His Kingdom, now and forever.

So, sow the seed, spread the Word, tell the Gospel to all those God gives to you each and every day. God wants you to be part of the harvest. The Kingdom WILL grow, and does grow, in you, and all over as well.

I yearn to be clothed in Christ, for God’s power changes things. Delight in the Law of the Harvest which leads us to Jesus our Savior, today, tomorrow, and forever!

Thanks be to God!

Please enjoy this hymn which spoke to me during the preparation of this message.

I, the Lord of Sea and Sky - Collin Raye

I, the Lord of Sea and Sky

God bless you this week and always… Bill

 

 

Divided or Unified? What Say You? - Mark 3:20-35 - Third Sunday after Pentecost

 

Mark 3:20-35 NIV

²⁰ Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. ²¹ When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

²² And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”

²³ So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? ²⁴ If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. ²⁵ If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. ²⁶ And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. ²⁷ 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. ²⁸ Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, ²⁹ but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”

³⁰ He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”

³¹ Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. ³² A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”

³³ “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.

³⁴ Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! ³⁵ Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

Divided or Unified? What Say You?

As I prepared myself in the background material of this passage of Scripture and the words of Jesus; I was left perplexed, maybe confused, yet astounded at the message.

Several themes jumped out at me. Was this passage about the unpardonable sin? Perhaps this was about the suspicions and accusations against Jesus’ authority on religious matters. Or maybe this was about a clash of kingdoms, families and Satan.

Maybe these words just went beyond my understanding, but here goes…

People of Jesus day, and still today, for that matter; thought of Jesus as a religious maniac. I’m okay with this thought. I entertain the thought that Jesus was a religious maniac.  I aspire to be like Jesus in this enthusiasm of the Gospel of God. May I be passionate about God’s love for all mankind that the Gospel is spread through my words and actions. May I be connected to Jesus in this way.  Perhaps one or two will hear God’s grace in my words. Perhaps by “Pointing to Jesus,” someone else will look for themselves. Perhaps one person will dive into God’s Word and look and seek and be found in the looking and the seeking. Maybe, just maybe, one person will become a religious maniac as well. But I leave that movement to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in the life on that one other person.

It would be a compliment for a disciple of Jesus to be considered “mad” or “beside” or “out of their mind” for Jesus’ love and grace. To be willing to give ALL for God. And there have been saints past, present and I’m sure future, who fall into this category. Consider the disciples of Jesus, Paul, Francis of Assisi, and Martin Luther. There are way too many to name. May all of Jesus’ disciples be “out of their minds” for Christ.  Sometime this week look at a few of the Saints past and read their story as disciples of Jesus. Not to glorify them, but to see how they too were “out of their minds” for Jesus’ love and Gospel of forgiveness and everlasting life. I only hope to become some influence on the lives of those God gives to me each and every day, that people may not see me, but become curious and pulled in by God’s love given through Jesus’ acts in this world and in the world to come.

Let’s move on to this whole division theme next. First, Jesus’ power is NOT from Satan. Come on! Why would anyone think this? But some do. Jesus’ power has OTHER roots. We come to discover that Jesus IS God. Jesus IS God made flesh, sent by the Father into this fallen world to save ALL from sin, death and the devil. Jesus came and ascended back into heaven and rolled out in an astonishing way, the Holy Spirit into the life of this screwed up earthly church. One day this Church will be made the perfect bride for Jesus, but for now, we struggle, here in this place with sin.

So, when we look at this division; we see a division of evil and the good of God. How can good come from evil? The “world” says that is EASY! In the world the battle of thoughts that good comes from evil happens all around us. How many times has mankind gone to war hoping that something “good” would come from killing one another? How many times have we taken, perhaps stolen from one people to give to another, thinking something “good” is happening? How many lies have been told in the interest of making someone else think good of the person telling lies? Oh, and how many times have we justified slavery by thinking that it was good for the slave to have a job and home?

You see, evil produces evil. Even when we try to rationalize our “good” intentions. There IS a definite line between “real” good and “real” evil.

More on this division theme is brought out by the contrast of a kingdom divided against itself that cannot stand. Or a house divided against itself that cannot stand. Or even, Satan divided against himself cannot stand. So, the accusation of Jesus being possessed by a demon and driving out demons, makes no sense. This cannot stand.

Something happens in this division. As we witness the clash of kingdoms, the clash of families, and the clash of Satan verses God; discipleship grows. As the community of the division grows smaller and smaller, from kingdom, to family, to good and evil; there becomes a recognition that, in this division, we NEED God to save us from ourselves. So, we turn. We turn to God and seek His will and His way in our life. The church turns to God to seek His will and His way in the life of the church. And the Kingdom of God starts to unite under Jesus. It’s only through Jesus that we are saved from ourselves, and our own fatal divisions.

And there are some who will decide against God. This is the idea of the unpardonable sin. There are some who will be defiant to God. There are some who will reject God’s grace and love. There are some who will willfully NOT believe in what God has done for them in Jesus. That’s a choice that they are free to make. But God will always offer His alternative.

This idea of the unpardonable sin, bothers many believers. They pause and wonder, perhaps a better description is that they fear this sin. As disciples of Jesus, here in this place, we know that we sin. Have we slipped up and sinned in this way? Look at the words of Jesus from this passage above…

²⁸ Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, ²⁹ but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”

Rest in God’s grace. In your very fear of having committed this sin, means you have not committed this sin. Turn to God and see His Grace and His love for you.

And finally, this theme of “Family.”  Jesus’ mother and brothers arrive on the scene. I hear the point as being that what binds the spiritual family, the family of God, is deeper than what binds a human family. God came to earth to bring us together under Jesus Christ. That’s a so much deeper bond than any kingdom or family could ever present. For Jesus is stronger than any “strong man” that may come to plunder God’s kingdom here or in eternity.

Don’t try to hide from God as you try to be a god to yourself. No, instead, cry out to God for forgiveness. As our sinful beings waste away, we must trust in God’s renewal and God’s gift of new life.  Good comes from good. Go and produce the “good” God has given for you to produce. Love, serve, and spread the Gospel of God’s love to and for all those God gives to you… today… tomorrow… and forever!

What say you?

May God bless you this week and always as you live out your call and God’s will in your life.

I leave you with this song that I used during my studies this week.

We Are the Body of Christ

Stop-Look-See - Mark 2:23-3:6 - Second Sunday after Pentecost

 Mark 2:23-3:6 NIV

²³ One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. ²⁴ The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”

²⁵ He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? ²⁶ In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.”

²⁷ Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. ²⁸ So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

3 Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. ² Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. ³ Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”

⁴ Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.

⁵ He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. ⁶ Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

Stop-Look-See

Stop, look and see. Look and listen. Watch! It’s the Sabbath Day after all. Sit for a while and look and listen to Jesus.

From a child, I have always been taught to obey the Third Commandment. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Luther explains it’s meaning in this way:

We should fear and love God so that we do not despise his Word and the preaching of it, but acknowledge it as holy, and gladly hear and learn it.

But, we, as faithful Christians have twisted this commandment into something we need to do or something we need to refrain from, in a way that we can follow a rule to gain God’s favor.

Sometimes we make a rule out of doing “nothing.” No stores, no work, no play, no this, no that, no the other. Don’t even help each other out. It’s a day of rest.

Sometimes we make ourselves self-righteous and believe that we gain favor in the eyes of God if we follow our own made-up rules. Really?

That’s not what the Third Commandment even says. That’s what we, as man, have made up to think we earn favor from God or are better than those poor stiffs who are working on a Sunday.

Really? Does God need me to obey rules I have made up, for Him to love me?

Look at the Scripture passage above. Stop, look, see and finally listen to the Word. Listen to the Word that is Jesus.

We tend to think of the Sabbath Day as a day of rest. In some ways, this is true. In other ways not so much. As we look back at the Creation from Genesis, recall how God created all things in six days. Don’t get wrapped around the axle on the timing. Look at what God did. All creation took place, ending with mankind. And then…

Genesis 2:1-2 NIV

2 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.

² By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.

Did God need Sabbath rest? I can’t imagine that the God that created the universe needed rest. Who am I to say this? But I reflect on the words of Jesus above and am reminded of the power and might of God.

²⁷ Then he (Jesus) said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. ²⁸ So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Jesus tells us that the Sabbath was made for man. 

It occurs to me that perhaps the Sabbath was for man to rest in God’s love and grace. Even in this passage of Scripture in Chapter 3, Jesus heals on the Sabbath. Jesus feeds His disciples on the Sabbath. Stop, look and see what Jesus did on the Sabbath. Should we not do likewise for and to all those God gives to us each day? --- Even if it is a Sabbath?

Let’s look at this Sabbath stuff with the eyes of God. Well, that’s pretty presumptive of me! Perhaps, I should say with the eyes of “man” looking to God. A recent study of Ephesians reminded me of this Sabbath stuff.  The following concepts are from a small book on Ephesians written by Watchman Nee, titled, “Sit, Walk, Stand.” Here is my paraphrase and thoughts as well.

Our life as Jesus’ disciples, begins NOT with the big DO, but with a big DONE.

The disciple’s, life from start to finish is based on our dependence on Jesus.

Think of creation, Adam began his life with the Sabbath. God had already created everything. God already did all the work. Adam entered God's rest on the Sabbath.  This can be thought of as the big DONE. God did it all.

For us, today, since Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and ascension; we see how God completed the work of our salvation with Jesus and we can do nothing to earn that salvation.  We enter this salvation by faith freely given to us by God. Here is another big DONE.

We (man) enter God's rest in creation and in salvation. This is Sabbath rest and this is how we acknowledge the Word to hear and learn. Like in the passage above, take the time to stop, look and see, what God has done. Look and see what God has done not only in creation, but in salvation as well.

God did everything in Christ. So, sit down and be seated with Christ!

Our Christian life begins with the discovery of what God has already provided. God has given us all that we need. God not only gave us all of creation, He gave us salvation.

Our deliverance from sin is not to do something, but to rest on what God has DONE.

When WE stop doing --- God begins. God is waiting for us to give up on our doing, and be utterly at the end of ourselves, so that He can begin to deliver us. In Jesus’ salvation of all mankind, Jesus looked beyond his own needs, to our needs.

As we, men, reach the end of ourselves; we see healing.  Is healing work?

Mankind is and always has been sacred to God. The people God gives to us each and every day are sacred to us, Jesus’ disciples, as well. The commandments were made for mankind, not mankind for the commandments.  Stop, look and see what Jesus said in the passage above.

Acknowledge God’s Word as Holy and gladly hear and learn it.

Even on the Sabbath day of rest, we must do more than talk the talk of the Gospel.

Do you really believe in what God has done? Really?

Then respond to this wonderful gift from God! How could you do anything other?

We respond by love that goes beyond our manmade commands. We stretch out our own shriveled hands to be healed from our sin, by Jesus, our Savior. We reach out in love to those God gives to us and love them as well. How? Feed, heal, preach, touch and give your love to each and every person God gives to you each day. Why?

Because Jesus has healed you! God has forgiven your sin. You are sacred to God and loved by God, so much that from the creation and maybe before, God sent His Son, Jesus to save you from your desire to become God. And God sent His Holy Spirit to lead and guide you and give you all you need to love and care for all those God gives to you each and every day of your life, into eternity.

God is at work, on this Sabbath! Watch, see, look! See the Act of God.

Jesus’ work of love goes way beyond all the religious schemes of manmade ideas and traditions.

How do we bring God’s love to those God gives to us each day? Through the Law of love in Jesus.

My need to obey and earn God’s favor through actions I feel will please God, DO NOT, make me righteous. NO! God calls me to love and serve my neighbor, NOT to please my conscience.

So, on this Sabbath, open your heart and will to God. Stop. Look and see God’s action throughout all time. Point the world to Jesus. Stop, look and see what God has done… today… tomorrow… and forever!

I leave you with this Praise Song from YouTube…

Better Is One Day

 God bless you this week and always.