Let Not Man Separate

Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate. Mark 10:9

Mark 10 begins with a question and lesson on divorce, and how it was okay with Moses. Jesus had a disagreement with Moses on this and told them the reason why Moses allowed it. You may note along with me how we seem to have gone back to Moses in a manner of speaking on divorce. Merely mention the subject and a long parade of people you and I know come to mind who have suffered a divorce, or more than one. We may even try to make excuses for them by saying that maybe God hadn't put those two together and so divorce was inevitable, or something like that. The difficulty of the subject tells of how much pain there is involved with it. Whether you have experienced being one of the two central characters, or simply have endured extremely awkward communications with two friends going through the thing, you know the feelings swirling around this particular whirlpool. According to Jesus, there shouldn't be any divorce.

And that shows, dear boys and girls, how far we are from the Lord our God in this world.

Bucky

Salty Words

Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another. Mark 9:50

This verse... Well, this verse has been used in a great many ways in sermons I have heard and seen over the years. We have lost some of the value though in our latter days as salt is commonly available, even cheap to purchase. In our Lord's time, salt was critical to life and not easily come by. If we needed further evidence that Jesus was a man, we find it here in our verse today, "Salt is good." Men like the taste of salt. Salt has been used to preserve meat, but we have refrigeration. But the point does not seem to be how to use salt, but that if salt becomes not salt, how can a person make it salt again? In other words, if something in us is lost, we may not be able to find it again. If a person believes in Jesus today, but loses his faith tomorrow, his state may be one of such woe that even the best efforts of the Spirit may not revive him. This salt of sacrifice also seems to allow for peace in our relationships.

Some salty words for you today,

Bucky

Seasoned With Fire

For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. Mark 9:49

So what does a small-group Bible study teacher do when the group decides it would rather be elsewhere this morning? Right, he goes out in search of another group of students. So, good morning, students! We have a tough verse to study this morning. What does Jesus mean by seasoned with fire? Are we to be barbecued?

Tough verses we come across generate more questions for us than answers. If a person reads through the entire Bible and has no questions, then that person wasn't paying attention as they read. As a veteran of much reading, I can testify that it is possible to do that, maybe more so as we get older. However, back to the question, what does He mean by seasoned with fire? I would tend along Paul's thoughts (see 1 Corinthians 3) that some of us, perhaps all of us, will arrive at the pearly gates smelling of smoke and with singe marks where sin used to cling. It will be a far sight better than going down below and burning for all eternity!

Ouch! And love to you in Christ Jesus this morning,

Bucky

Unquenched Fire

Where,
Their worm does not die
​​And the fire is not quenched.
  -- Mark 9:48

I don't want to write about Hades or Hell, but He keeps speaking of it. There are the parables like the rich man and the beggar (Luke 16:19-31). Then come the references such as 'son of Hell' (Matt 23:15). Hell or Hades, Jesus mentioned them too much to ignore. From His words we know it is down, has gates with keys, and there is much unquenched fire and that worm. We also know by faith in His words that we do not ever want to go there, not even for a visit. So, a question might occur to some. If Jesus brought the good news, why all this down stuff about Hell? Warning is of course the answer. We were born on a path to destruction, and Hell is the place of that destruction. We are quite right to not want to go there. The good news Jesus brought is that by believing in Him, we can be turned around and not go there!

Believe in Jesus, and don't go there!

Bucky

A Fierce Protectiveness

But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea. Mark 9:42

There lives something in us that wants to see Jesus as always nice. It is a self-serving thing, because for Jesus to be constantly nice would mean no judgment or hell - especially that eternal punishment thing. However, we see here in our verse for today a fierce protectiveness from our Lord for the little ones who believe in Him. He gives the 1st century version of the old concrete overshoes as a better option for those who would cause His little ones to stumble. Most of us would say that isn't much of an option, sort of final. Better that, our Lord says, than to face His wrath!

Pray for His loving protection,

Bucky

Our Exclusive Club?

Now John answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.”  Mark 9:38

It was there for just that brief moment - the 'what day is it?' senior moment struck me. See, it happens to the worst of us too. 

The scholars tell us that John was not senior during his time with Jesus, but in this verse he does seem to be gatekeeping for Jesus. Could there be a personal envy problem here since we saw a few days back where the disciples failed to cast out a demon, and now this stranger is doing it?  Of course it is possible. All the fallen behaviors and feelings that you or I might have were present in the Lord's disciples. Pride, unbelief, envy, lust, and many others came to Jesus in His twelve disciples. And He dealt with them in His way. This time will be a correction, as in the next verse Jesus tells John and his mates, "Do not forbid him..."  

Be ready, correction will come from our Lord to us as well. John is not the only one down through the years to think that faith in Christ belongs to an exclusive club. 

Love to you in Christ our Lord,

Bucky

Receive Them All

Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.” Mark 9:36-37

This is not about regrets. It is a lesson to the greatness-desiring disciples about who to receive as they go out spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. A humble apostle would have no problem ministering to the children of a village. A great apostle might only go to the town square or center of whatever worship the town had, ignoring the children. And once the 'great' disciple ignored the children, he might go on to ignore the old folks, and the sick or infirm, and many other groups. And those Jesus sent out were to spread the good news of Him to all the people.

We all need salvation, and God wants none to be lost. Love to you in Christ our Lord!

Bucky