Something Teachable

Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain. And the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” Mark 2:23-24

Have you ever had someone who made it their mission to find something wrong with you? Of course you have. Jesus had a whole troop of them, scribes, priests, and those Pharisees. Even out in a grain field, Jesus had them waiting to pounce on the slightest infraction by Him or His disciples. The Pharisees prided themselves on their scriptural knowledge, and Jesus met them there. In the next verse, Jesus asks them, "Have you never read...?" And Jesus proceeds to teach the Pharisees about the Law.

The Pharisees must have felt a bit of an earthquake as this worker from Nazareth tried to lead them to the righteous path.

Love to you in Christ our Lord,

Bucky

Ruined Wineskins

No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins. Mark 2:21-22

New, but do we understand how new? Jesus brought His good news, and it quickly ran into old and established views. The Law wasn't enough for the Pharisees and they had added hundreds of traditions to it. Jesus was about to ruin some old wineskins. The Pharisees had set themselves to be strict Sabbath police. Which would seem to be a kind of work...but anyway. Jesus challenged them to apply the law with mercy and love, in place of the mean and cruel they liked. He was about to tear some old garments. The Pharisees thought themselves guardians against false prophecy and heralds of the coming Messiah. Instead they guarded against the Messiah and acted as false prophets. Garments torn, wineskins ruined.

Act in love and mercy, rejoice in Christ Jesus!

Bucky

Something New

The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?”  Mark 2:18

Fasting was a thing of 'must do' for the Pharisees, but they used the implied criticism trick of asking a question of Jesus. As in, we do this and we are always right, therefore you must be wrong and why don't you get on board with us? Jesus gave His answer, and what an answer it is! In His answer is the new cloth on old garments and the new wine in old wineskins illustrations familiar to most everyone by now. Something new had arrived and the first group of chosen disciples did new things with the Teacher. Fasting has become a 'can do' in place of the former way. 

As today is Ash Wednesday, we will see many starting a Lenten fast. Hopefully no modern-day Pharisees are putting a 'must do' on anyone today. If the Spirit has placed a desire on your heart to hold a fast, then do it with joy. That would be something new.

In Christ Jesus our Lord,

Bucky

We The Sick

And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?”

When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance." Mark 2:16-17

So Jesus went along and called a tax collector. And then the Pharisees questioned it when He dined with the tax collector and his friends. We the sick are glad that Jesus dined with the sinners since the time the Holy Spirit came upon us and showed to us our sin. Those with Pharisee wellness can stand outside and question; we rather like being with Him. Those who think of themselves as lawful and good can stand far off and do their criticism. We the sick will repent and dine with our Savior.

It's a privilege to be with Jesus!

Bucky

Compassion Enough For 5,000-plus

But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him. And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things.  Mark 6:33-34

In Mark's gospel, the disciples had just returned from their first mission trips and Jesus led them to a deserted place to rest up a bit. However, multitudes saw them leaving, word spread quickly, and people ran from cities to get to where Jesus was going. The Lord Jesus steps out to minister to His twelve...and finds the eyeballs of five thousand men, plus their wives and children, looking back at Him. Adapting quickly to the circumstance, Jesus had compassion enough for the 5,000-plus and began teaching them all. And as people will do, they were hungry for His word but soon became hungry in body as well. Jesus had an answer for that hunger too. 

The story has become famous wherever the gospel has been told. The disciples were tested, 200 denarii of bread would not be enough. Today we figure conservatively that 5,000 men would also have a wife and children, or a minimum of 16,000 persons who would need a Swiss Mushroom Runza® each for a mere $105,440 at the current Sidney price on their online menu. No, no, these people were hungry! Double cheeseburger combo meal for sure, plus most of them wouldn't know a Runza® from a loaf of bread! Okay, big burger combo makes it $188,640 plus the Sidney 'good grief!' tax on hungry travelers, and a generous tip for the Runza crew who is even now weeping in the back, "He wants sixteen thousand of them?!!" 

I've been following the beginning of the start of our Lord Jesus' ministry for a bit now, and suddenly I skipped ahead a little to the feeding of the five thousand. There is a reason to share with you of course. Today, as soon as this is posted on Blogspot, will be the 5,000th posting from this little devotional message you read and share! 

Have a great big day in Christ our Lord!

Bucky

Sins Forgiven, He Walks

When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”
And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”  Mark 2:5-7

The faith of those men gave Jesus a moment to teach a lesson to the scribes sitting there. He could have said other things as Jesus will point out later. He chose instead words that announced who He was. And the scribes knew it, and refused to believe it. Refusing to believe allowed them to say the 'B' word - blasphemy. Had the homeowner kept a bucket of rocks in the house, the scribes would have reached for them to stone Jesus, the Son of God. 

Watching this scene, you may be thinking, "Wait, miracle!" Exactly right. In their refusal, they missed the miracle of God right there in front of them. Paralyzed dude, picks up his bed and walks out. No months in rehab working to build muscle and coordination, sins forgiven by the authority of the Son, he walks. Authority, the born rebel in the fallen wants to refuse the authority of God's Son. And the scribes were all too ready to refuse to believe. Don't be like the scribes. 

Love and joy to you in Christ Jesus our Lord!

Bucky

Breaking Through

And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.  Mark 2:4

Faith, a strange thing that comes upon us at times, while at other times it seems to desert us. Here five people, one of them paralyzed, had enough faith to begin the demolition of a house that was not theirs in the hope of getting this paralytic a chance at a new life. However, their faith faced a test when they arrived, a crowd large enough to block all normal ways into the house. Faith found a way around and over the crowd. Faith faced another test in that Jesus might have refused, or maybe an angry homeowner was on the way to knock them all off his roof. Faith in Jesus has its result though, as Jesus forgave the paralyzed man his sins. 

Oh yes, it seems that Jesus had to break through the unbelief all around Him too. Some it seems would go away still not believing in Him, even as they exclaimed, "We never saw anything like this!"

Faith in Jesus, not easy but so rewarding!

Bucky