Just Who Is This Jesus? - Mark 6:1-13 - Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

 

Mark 6:1-13 NIV

6 Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. ² When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.

“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? ³ Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

⁴ Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” ⁵ He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. ⁶ He was amazed at their lack of faith.

Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. ⁷ Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.

⁸ These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. ⁹ Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. ¹⁰ Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. ¹¹ And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”

¹² They went out and preached that people should repent. ¹³ They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

Just Who Is This Jesus?

I have to admit, my first few readings of this Gospel passage left me disjointed. It was like I was reading two different accounts. First one of Jesus return home and the second of Jesus sending his disciples out into the world. I couldn’t seem to gather any connection between the two accounts, and to be honest, the two accounts didn’t strike me as having much meaning. But, as I studied more and more through the week, the message came through with meaning and depth. So, here goes. I hope you are blessed by God as I point to Jesus.

This was just the start of it all. No, not the first thing Jesus ever did, but it was a start. This is the beginning of Jesus ministry from his hometown of Nazareth out to all the world. This was not just a mere visit home to see family and friends. No, rather this was Jesus first stop on a much larger evangelism purpose.

This is Jesus’ return home; some say for the second time. Jesus left Nazareth as an individual and now returns as a rabbi with his followers. The hometown crowd saw Jesus as just a carpenter. Some say this word carpenter may have gone a little further. Maybe Jesus was like a tradesman, with skills in wood and metal, the maker of useful things for the common people. Maybe this thought goes a little deeper than we really see on the surface with Jesus the Creator, the Savior, the Reformer of you and I?

Anyway, the hometown crowd probably saw Jesus as just another sinful person like all of them, and us, are… like themselves. But that wasn’t the case. Sure, Jesus was one of them, but much much more. So, as Jesus returns to speak in the synagogue, with words of power, witness and wisdom; the people wonder… Who does Jesus think he is? And even more, they really don’t believe what they witness in Jesus words and actions.

As word had spread of Jesus’ healing miracles… think of the past couple of messages from “Pointing to Jesus.” The people of Jesus hometown rejected the accounts of Jesus healing. The people didn’t believe in Jesus even in the face of recent evidence of miracles of healing and his teaching. Faith was absent here in Jesus’ hometown, regarding just who Jesus really is.

Go back a couple of messages from my blog “Daily Reflections” and YouTube channel, “Pointing to Jesus,” and you will see how miracles are combined with faith. Faith freely given to us by God combined with God’s Word through Jesus, are both present in Jesus’ miracles. Miracles come with faith. Here, in Jesus’ hometown, the people are lacking faith in Jesus.

As Jesus taught in the synagogue of his hometown, He was giving the hometown people a sign, an epiphany or the revealing of God in Jesus.

But the hometown people are blinded. You can know the obvious and still miss the point. The hometown people saw Jesus, but, at the same time, didn’t see Jesus’ greatness and the deep meaning of His presence with them. The hometown crowd knew of Jesus outward origins but did not see Jesus inward truth. The hometown crowd saw the body and acts of Jesus at home, but miss the Spirit of Jesus. The hometown crowd was able to look at Jesus from what he was on earth, but not able to see the Spirit of Jesus.

The same thing happens to all of us. So, this passage of scripture begs you and me to look at Jesus a little deeper.

Don’t think your own impression of Jesus is too familiar. There is much you, or I, or even the hometown crowd, don’t know about Jesus, or anyone for that matter. Sometimes familiarity breeds blindness to what is deeper.

To the hometown crowd, Jesus was a “worker.” Jesus performed craftsman work that helped in everyday needs. But, going deeper, Jesus’ trade was moving from the obvious earthly activity, to salvation of ALL people from sin death and evil. And that’s a huge leap of faith. That’s a huge jump in change. 

With knowing Jesus as a tradesman, as a lower servant in the hometown, it was easy to listen to Jesus in the synagogue and become a “snob.”  This “snob” judgment attitude, happens all the time. It’s hard for people to believe that there is something deeper inside of someone they think they know so well. So, people tend to become a “snob” and reject the message.

Look at Paul. Paul was an intelligent person by all means, yet when his life changed and he became an evangelist for Jesus, Greek intellects saw Paul as a “babbler.” Come on! Really?

Back to Jesus in his hometown. So, what happens? Looking down their noses, the hometown crowd takes offense at Jesus message. What a scandal Jesus must be, he’s just a tradesman after all! This is apostasy! And the people fall away from Jesus’ message.

Here’s the great thing about Jesus though. In the face of this rejection, Jesus doesn’t make it personal. What a great lesson for each of us!

Jesus observes the reaction of the people and moves on to teach some more. Jesus knows that His work and mission are what is important. What is not important is the opinions of those who lack faith and don’t believe. That’s not to say the people who reject Jesus are not important, but rather their opinions of Jesus are not important. So, Jesus moves forward in witness and salvation.

What a personal lesson this can be for you and I when we are laughed at and condemned for our faith in Jesus, for our witness to what God has done in our lives and for our calling. Point to Jesus and keep on going.

And now this passage seems to go into part two, or something. We move on to what seems to be God’s great parade of witnesses that extends from this time in Jesus’ day to all time. And that parade begins with the great Go! Get on with it!

We just witness a lack of Faith of God in Jesus to move forward, as disciples, two by two to, “Faith” displayed to the world. You see, disciples are always sent out. Just like my childhood dream of Jesus coming to my door, Jesus asks, “Can Billy come out to play?”  Well… Go out to play! You don’t need anything to go out, just go!

In this going is the connection between, what I originally thought were two separate stories from Jesus. The first account is the hometown crowd WITHOUT faith. The second account is Jesus’ disciples going out into the world WITH faith in Jesus.

Don’t bog down God’s message of salvation with needing “stuff” first. Just GO! TELL! NOW! After all, Jesus sends you.

Jesus sends out the twelve, in this case, in pairs, so to speak. Jesus sends the disciples out to speak, teach repentance, cast out evil and heal the sick.

And while you are out playing, don’t get too comfortable. The disciple must be able to leave a place and move on the Gospel message of salvation. There’s that connection between what seemed to be two separate accounts. Jesus moved on from his hometown, he didn’t get all hurt about rejection. Likewise, as a disciple, move along. The call, the mission is, for Jesus’ disciples to spread the message of salvation.

This “dusting off of feet,” isn’t about quitting. A disciple doesn’t quit, if some refuse to believe the Gospel message… well then… OK… move along. This “Spreading the Gospel” isn’t about your own feelings of rejection or wanting to quit. Rely on God! It’s not about you!

After all, there are NEW doors to knock on and more places to play in this Kingdom of God we walk in with Jesus as we play.

So, there you have it. Who is Jesus? Jesus is God. Jesus is the miracle worker. Jesus is the Creator. And like Ezekiel, we too, can hear the call to stand up, to wake up. Why? Because Jesus asks us to come out and play. Jesus is sending his disciples out.

Have mercy on us Lord Jesus. In the midst of weakness and fear, may the power of Christ dwell in each and all of Jesus disciples as we go out to play and proclaim and point to what Jesus has done for all people… today… tomorrow… and forever. --- Amen

May God bless you this week as you go out.

I leave you with this YouTube video music on a passage from Isaiah’s calling

"Here I am Lord"

Maybe You? - Mark 5:21-43 - Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

 

Mark 5:21-43 NIV

²¹ When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. ²² Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. ²³ He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” ²⁴ So Jesus went with him.

A large crowd followed and pressed around him. ²⁵ And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. ²⁶ She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. ²⁷ When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, ²⁸ because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” ²⁹ Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

³⁰ At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

³¹ “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”

³² But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. ³³ Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. ³⁴ He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

³⁵ While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?”

³⁶ Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

³⁷ He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. ³⁸ When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. ³⁹ He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” ⁴⁰ But they laughed at him.

After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. ⁴¹ He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). ⁴² Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. ⁴³ He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.

Maybe You?

Most time, when I contemplate Scripture reading, it gets personal. God’s Word gets real personal most of the time. I read the passage and over time it works on me. At first, I don’t get it, for the most part, but as it sinks in, over time, I hear a message of grace and comfort, inside a law that points me, bids me, turns me around in my sin, to see the face of Jesus and to fall into his arms for healing.

This Gospel text is no different. Here are two miracles wrapped, one inside of another of bodily cures that pull me into Jesus’ realm of love and grace for me and for all people, to point us to something more. Something in this life, in this life of disease, illness, and death, to a life forever in resurrection with God.

Jesus has all authority over disease and death. We witness, in these two healings the outward proof of Jesus the Messiah. We see here, Jesus as God, Servant, Man, Creator, and Savior.

We also see, in these two miracles of healing, how these miracles are both accompanied by faith. The miracle does not generate faith, rather, faith is present as the miracle occurs. This faith that is present, is a gift freely given by God. Faith as a gift to all bringing us to believe.

Let’s look at the woman suffering from bleeding. Her healing does not come about by the touching of clothing. Jesus knows when she, or even we, reach out in need to touch Him. You see, Jesus knew the difference between the touch of the crowd around him and the woman’s touch. Jesus knows when we reach out to touch Him in our need of healing and salvation.

Yes, in both cases of healing, Jesus pays attention to individual needs. Jesus busts the schedule of His day for a person, an individual, for the bleeding woman, for Jairus, for Jairus’ daughter, for you and for me. Jesus busts His schedule. For you too, Jesus busts His schedule to bring healing, life, and resurrection. Even healing and life beyond this world of sin, disease, death, to a world we have yet to know.

Maybe you? Yes! Jesus’ agenda IS you!

Look at it. In place of death, the death of the woman bleeding and in place of the death of Jairus’ daughter, comes blessing. Even if we look at the life of Jesus, in the place of His own death comes resurrection and blessing and life eternal.

Jesus comes to us concerned for us, not himself.  Likewise, see, Jairus, he comes to Jesus concerned for the “other.” Jairus comes concerned for himself, for sure, but even more, for the life of his daughter. Ask yourself. Do you come to Jesus, concerned for the need of someone else? Should you? Maybe you?

And what about this “Faith” stuff. Witness and see Jairus’ open mind. Jairus comes to Jesus with an open mind, Jairus comes to Jesus with faith that Jesus can heal and give life. This is a faith that makes him fall on his knees before Jesus.

Jairus begs Jesus for a touch of Jesus’ healing hand upon his daughter. Jesus, laying on of hands changes the direction of things. Jesus’ touch changes the direction of things, here and now, and things forever. Jesus’ touch, spins us around, to look into His eyes and see God.

Jesus busts his schedule to touch us, to spin us around from this world to eternity.

So, my schedule can NEVER be more important than Jesus call to live life with Him, now and forever. Yes! When Jesus arrives at my door or your door, day after day, and bids “Can Billy come out to play?” --- or will you walk with Him this day --- the answer must and will always be, for me, Yes! Billy can come out to play! No matter what! Jesus seeks for us to bust our own schedules to come out to play and to serve God and to serve our neighbor and all those God gives to us each and every day. We come out to play and to walk this life with Jesus into eternity.

And when we walk our life and meet up with disease and death and pain and suffering and tests that go on and on; we, like the bleeding woman and Jairus and his daughter, first and foremost, must turn to Jesus for healing.

As we walk our life with Jesus we will suffer. But that’s not all there is. As we walk in this broken, diseased, sinful world we can still, spread the Gospel of Jesus salvation, so others may see Jesus first. We report about our life with Jesus, we witness our time in this world, so that, others may hear our story of Jesus healing and journey as we follow, or “come out to play” with Jesus. In Jesus IS hope.

The bleeding woman touch of faith, given to her by God, was sensed by Jesus. Jesus busted his daily schedule and healed her. Jesus sought an open confession from this bleeding woman. Perhaps Jesus wanted all to hear her confession that day. Perhaps Jesus wanted all those present to be open to reach out and to touch Him for healing. Healing with and from a faith that God gave to this woman and to all those present in that crowd. Why? That they may come to believe in Him and how He is saving them from way more than an illness of bleeding.

It is faith in Jesus that saved that bleeding woman. It wasn’t about the touching of the garment. And it’s not about our touch of Jesus that saves us. But it’s about the faith given to us to believe that there is life eternal in Jesus.

Jesus bids us, do not fear. Only believe. For death leads to resurrection and life forever.  Death is not the end. Witness Jesus dealing with his own death. Yes, Jesus suffered and died. It was not easy. It was horrible. Yet, there is and was more. God’s WORD come after and in and through death. God never reaches the “end of His rope,” so to speak. Never! We fear death for sure, but we really need not fear the power of death. We need to only believe in Jesus. And… that’s LIFE!

Jesus faced death. Jesus faced death for us, once and for all time and chased it away. Now hold on! I will die, no doubt, but the power of death and its finality has been chased away by Jesus.

Yea, right! And the crowds laugh at Jesus. Why? These people do not have faith. They choose to NOT believe. They choose to show no faith. Even any morsel of faith they have been given by God, they spit out in contempt and disgust for Jesus’ word of healing.

Yes, the Believer in Jesus will be laughed at. Expect it. Jesus was laughed at and the Believer will be too! Remember, the disciple is not above the Father.

See, in the face of laughter; Jesus brings healing and life. In the face of illness and death, Jesus takes your hand and the hand of Jairus’ daughter and says, “Arise!!!”

Faith is opposed to fear. “Rise up!” Resurrection brings victory over death and fear.

Astonished and amazed, we are overcome with resurrection life

Let Jesus bring life into your house. Let Jesus bring life into the temple of God given to you, your temple of death, and let Jesus raise you up to life in Him. Believe! Yes, believe, just as we proclaim in the Apostles Creed--- I believe in the resurrection! This is the faith that drives out fear. This is the faith brought to life from God that leads you to believe, in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Faith that leads you out into the world God sets you in to love God and to love all those God gives to you each and every day.

And then… and then… see what happens with Jairus’ daughter? You too, just as Jesus did after his resurrection, will take in a feast of food. A feast of life-giving bread and wine. We will have a great feast of life to come.

Thanks be to God that He is eternally generous to us through His gift of Jesus. As we reach out to touch in faith, Jesus busted his schedule to love YOU! Joy truly comes in that great morning of Jesus resurrection from the dead. Joy will come to us as Jesus raises us up to new life in eternity with Him.

Miracles in the midst of illness, suffering and death. Yes, miracles from God in and through Jesus. Feel the touch of Jesus, today, tomorrow and forever! --- Amen

May God bless you today and always.

I leave you with this YouTube video of music…

You Raise Me Up – Josh Groban

You Raise Me Up