Them Parables

And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea. Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching. Mark 4:1-2

Parables have been mentioned before in Mark's gospel. But here on the shores by the sea, Jesus begins that ministry in parables for which He became famous. Or, was it the miracles that made His name known throughout the world? Here we see the great multitude listening to the parables from that boat in the sea. Did the multitude come to hear the teaching or did they want to see a miracle? For whatever reason they came, parable teaching is what they received.

You or I may have come to the Lord by way of some amazing story we heard. And like this multitude in Mark, we may get a teaching by parable. A person might go to the Red Sea and tell the Lord that he is waiting to cross, but he may wait there and never see the waves divide and stand like walls to either side of the pathway through the sea. Instead, someone may show up in a boat and tell that man a little parable story.

Rejoice in the Lord, and learn from Him!

Bucky

How We Became Family

But He answered them, saying, “Who is My mother, or My brothers?” And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.” Mark 3:33-35

In our scripture passage for today we have that most important time when we became family. All those who do the will of God first come to believe in Jesus His Son. And we are named family - brothers, sisters, and mothers - by our Lord Jesus. You come from every nation, people, tribe, and tongue, and you are all family. You may find me offensive, but as long as you believe in Jesus, then we are family. You may despise the spring time change this morning, and we agree on that, but with faith in Jesus the Christ, we are family. So, brothers, sisters, and mothers in the family of Christ, let us rejoice in Him!

After we wake up later, we can rejoice even more,

Bucky

Loving His Spirit

“Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”— because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.” Mark 3:28-30

When someone you love is called an awful name or accused wrongly, you will react strongly to it. Here we see Jesus reacting to His dear Spirit being called 'unclean' by the scribes. We might say in our day that He came out swinging. He certainly did because for the Spirit of God to be called the opposite of what He is by ignorant creatures of His was fightin' words! So strong is the love of Jesus that He does not allow such blasphemy go unanswered. And if a human or other fallen creature should maintain that opposition to the Lord's Spirit, there can be no forgiveness.

Rejoice in the Lord always,

Bucky

Called To Himself

And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebub,” and, “By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons.”
So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan?
-- Mark 3:22-23

After His family had called into question His mental stability, Jesus also had to face the scribes from Jerusalem who never missed an opportunity to say a crazy thing or two. The scribes proposed that the method Jesus used to cast out demons was along the lines of a quarterback going to the defense's line coach and having him remove that defensive end that is causing his offense so much difficulty. We can imagine the reaction a request such as that would cause. So Jesus called the scribes to Himself for some instruction. 

The world has some crazy things to say to the Christ, and He calls them to Himself. Let us pray for them and help them to come for instruction with us. 

Bucky

An Interesting Fellow

Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, “He is out of His mind.”  Mark 3:20-21

To have a crowd come together just as you are sitting down for a meal can be deeply irritating. But then your own people, also referred to as 'family', make excuses for you that may not be entirely complimentary...well that can just ruin your day. Of course your family may not actually mean to levy a mental health diagnosis on you, but when it is put into print it does look bad. Does 'out of his mind' count as a term of affection? 

At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus and the chosen twelve disciples faced this sort of opportunity and opposition at the same time. A multitude to hear His word and be healed by Him, and a teaching time if they could just get a bit of elbow room at the dining room table. And someone send the publicist out to restrain the family's kidnapping urge and commentary, please! We settle down with the disciples to marvel that at this time the demons proclaim Him the Son of God (He shushes them), while His family calls Him 'out of His mind' (He doesn't silence them). Even to the unbeliever Jesus presents an interesting case. 

Follow Jesus, our most interesting Master!

Bucky

The Twelve He Wanted

And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons.  Mark 3:13-15

Many questions rise up at this passage. Why twelve? And many others that come to mind in the other gospels where we learn more about the individuals chosen by Jesus. We can only trust our Lord's selection in faith, but then He does something more! Heal the sick? Just like He did with a word of authority or a touch? Plus the authority to cast out demons. Most of us do not even want to meet a demoniac. Uh oh, then there's that 'send them out' bit. Yes, with gifts such as these, the twelve special disciples probably didn't get to go home for the weekend. And preach? The pastor makes it look easy, but public speaking ranks as one of the great fears in our time. No, these twelve may be special, but easy will not be their way. 

Let us have a faithful week in Christ our Lord!

Bucky

The Current Big Thing

But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him.  Mark 3:7-8

From all over the region they came to see the current big thing. It seems almost disrespectful to refer to Jesus like that, but most of that great multitude did not know Him as the Son of God. We read that John did baptisms and spoke forth, but not miracles. Before John, a prophet had not been seen in the land once known as Israel for four hundred years or more. They grew up on the stories of Moses in Egypt, Elijah and Elisha, and the great wonders of the Lord God. Yet, the stories of wonders were becoming ancient, perhaps a bit dusty to the multitude. Suddenly, a whole new batch of stories has sprung up in Galilee. And people with all manner of awful conditions had a hope, or perhaps just a sense of maybe it could be hope if the stories are true. 

In our time, those stories of the gospels and the Acts are getting a bit ancient and dusty too. Are we getting close then to another appearance of our Lord? Keep the watch! The next big thing could be one who has been here before. 

Love and peace to you in Jesus our Lord and Savior! 

Bucky