Out In The Desert

Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, He is there!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.  Mark 13:21-23

The recently completed Burning Man 2026 shows us that large gatherings in the desert are not unknown. The gathering runs about 72,000 persons in a place without food or water, well, most of the time it is without water. The past few years have provided evidence of the dry lake bed occasionally attempting a return to lake status. Of course the warning of our Lord in this prophecy today is not against gathering together in the desert, but what will happen when a claimant to His title takes a gathering and sends them forth to spread the word. Actually, in our day the pretender wouldn't have to send anyone; social media would take care of the spreading of the news. All the false messiah would need is a decent cellular data connection out there in the desert. So be warned, the time may be near for a viral message we must refuse to believe. 

Praise unto the Lord our God on this Labor Day,

Bucky

Even Us Weirdos Glorify Him

For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be. And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days. Mark 13:19-20

Sometimes those end times prophecies can be real downers, but they are also so open to imagining. What I want to see are those sixteen-hour days when the days are shortened, as Jesus said. You think a three-day weekend seems short now, just you wait! This is one where we start to wonder about the translation of those old Greek words from the New Testament. Shorten the days? Is that what it really means? Our pastor always said it meant less of the days, as in the tribulation wouldn't go on until everyone was dead. But if you look at the words from the NKJV literally, yeah, it means less than a 24-hour day. How weird! Perhaps it's only me, weirdest of the weird, ya know.

Have a God-glorifying weekend this Labor Day as you rejoice in Him!

Bucky

The Older Face

Let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter.  Mark 13:15-18

Now here in our passage today comes a horrifying list. And it doesn't even tell what the old folks are not to do. I suppose with a cataclysm such as would cause these things the old folks are just done for. Can you imagine a disaster coming so swiftly that a person up one set of stairs on the roof must not go inside for anything? How many of us have some sort of 'go' bag ready? Right, me neither, but I move so slowly these days that I figure it won't matter. I might as well stand and face the danger trusting in Jesus my Lord. Now the grammar/speller checker wants to add an 'of' in between those two words, danger and trusting. So, maybe the most horrifying thing today isn't the list at all.

Face the danger, trust in Jesus always,

Bucky

First, A Temple

So when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not” (let the reader understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Mark 13:14

Scary times are foretold, especially for the people of Judea. But, Judea was a Roman province and they are long gone. This calls for further research as Jesus referenced Daniel the prophet by name and title. In Daniel 11, the prophet is told of a time when the daily sacrifices would be taken away and the abomination of desolation placed in the sanctuary fortress. I condensed the prophecy a bit, and therein comes the opportunity for debate. What Jesus said is tough for us to understand, and the Lord references a prophecy from hundreds of years further back that is even tougher for us to understand...understand? Me neither! However, there is an order that may be easier for us to understand. First, a temple. And there wasn't one there the last time I checked. Then the sacrifices can be taken away, and finally that abomination where it ought not to be. It might even help if Rome rose again and called Israel, Judea, once again.

So, now that we are all baffled, befuddled, and confused, have a joyous day in Christ our Lord! (He ain't confused!)

Bucky

Hated By All?

Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. Mark 13:12-13

We have read in history texts of times such as these in our verses today, and we have read of nations even now where this happens. Dictators just love family squealers, especially if the family head is a political opponent. But what Jesus foretells here is not just politics but the case of being hated by all for His name's sake. It seems ironic that the man who commanded us to love one another would foretell a universal hatred for those who do so. Irony does not make it untrue though, and a time will come when to love the name of Jesus is to incite hatred from apparently everyone. But, we are not there yet.

For now, we can still love Jesus and not be hated by all. Let us use the time well.

Bucky

Premeditated Victory

But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.  Mark 13:11

Standing in court, I delivered the final words that stunned the adversary's attorneys with my wit and resource for the hundredth time. Of course this was premeditated in my imagination, probably from growing up with courtroom dramas on the television. It is easy to score the premeditated victory in my imagination, only a little harder to do it when the script gives the character the lines. Court in real life is not so easy, as many litigators can attest. Prepared with a lengthy and difficult education, years of experience, a law firm behind them, and much time spent in study, the attorney may still be surprised by the outcome. And here in our verse today, Jesus tells His disciples to not worry, and even more, don't premeditate the words they will speak in court. This approach to a case would make an attorney turn a pale sort of color, I suspect. 

Faith presents such strangeness to the world,

Bucky

Before You Know It

And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.  Mark 13:10

This one sign to watch for could be a tough one. Missionaries have gone out to many far places, have they reached all of them? Broadcast television and radio have reached around the globe, but does it count if the language cannot be understood by every tribe and person? Translations of the story are a big focus now. I heard Dallas Jenkins set a goal of 600 languages for his show, The Chosen, to be translated into. Will that be enough for all the nations though? Shows such as that are available on the internet as far as the internet can reach, but all the nations yet? This sign looks like a sneaky one, it won't be completed for many years, but how many of those years are already past? It is one of those where our parents used to tell us, "It will be here before you know it!" Indeed, counting on this one as giving us time to goof off in our service before our Lord's return would be quite risky, I think. 

Rejoice in Christ Jesus, and spread a little good news to all the nations,

Bucky

Wars And Rumors Of Wars

But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows. Mark 13:7-8

The scripture passage for today starts off so well, except that we think that wars and such are very much a cause for being troubled. Nations and kingdoms going at it, earthquakes all over the place, famines and troubles, and He says do not be troubled? If you were born from 1900 to 2026, and I suspect that includes all of us, then you have lived your entire life with these things going on. The big thing that has changed over those years is that our means of learning about these events has become faster and more universal. Those of us who believe and apply the words of our Lord Jesus are going to look pretty odd not being troubled by these things. Yes, being called apart from the world will do that.

Trust in and look to Jesus, and do not be troubled, as He said,

Bucky

Take Heed

And Jesus, answering them, began to say: “Take heed that no one deceives you.  Mark 13:5

The response from Jesus known as the Olivet Discourse begins the same way in all three recordings in Mark, Matthew, and Luke. Take heed, meaning to pay attention, watch out for, be aware of, or use caution when the time comes, tells us that deception will be a big effort by someone. In the next verses of the revelation from Jesus we learn that the deception includes even the Christ Himself as deceivers will say, "I am he". And you or I can point out several cult preachers in our lifetime who claimed to be Jesus or the Christ. This warning from our Lord gave us the awareness to not fall for it. But we must continue to take heed as more of them will come. And, each will get better at it until the big one comes, the Antichrist. We, my friends in Christ, may live to see this time arrive. 

Take heed, and keep your eyes on Jesus our Savior!

Bucky

Careful Asking For That

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?”  Mark 13:3-4

Jesus had just foretold the utter destruction of the temple, and as curious humans, the disciples come to him and ask after the future. Oh that future! How we want to know what tomorrow will bring. And the end of time, the fulfillment, we may ask small, but we want the big answer about how this world will end. Why do we ask that? The evidence of our lives may tell us that more lives will follow from now until forever. But we seem to have a sense in our heart that out there somewhere is a final end of the world as we know it. John was among those asking, so a few decades later Jesus gave to him the revelation of just how things will go down. And a shocking revelation it is! But that's in the scriptural future. We'll take a look at what Jesus has to say right then as we continue (God willing!) next week. 

Love and joy to you this weekend in Christ our Lord,

Bucky

Stunning Prophecy

Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!”
And Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” Mark 13:1-2

It wasn't Solomon's Temple, but King Herod had expanded and built up the temple to something pretty grand. One of the disciples thought it pretty cool as well, and he pointed it out to the Teacher. Jesus had His way of looking at things though, and His prophecy could leave a disciple or two stunned. Where disciples like us might see permanence, strength, and stability, Jesus looks up and says, "Nope". We get to read a moment in time where our Lord teaches us to look to Him. Buildings just won't do it for us if we wait on the Lord Jesus.

Find your way in the Way, the Truth, and the Life,

Bucky

Mathematically Nuts

So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.” Mark 12:43-44

From my experience, I can testify that it is easier to give a bunch of money when a person has plenty of money to give from. From our Lord's word, I can testify that there is a different measure, one that appears to make no mathematical sense at all. The notes tell us that the Greek lepta was a small coin worth a fraction of a penny. The widow had donated two of those. We can imagine the church treasurer trying to pay a bill with two slices of a penny in hand. However, we know of a certain man who had another mathematically nuts proposition put before him: how to feed thousands of people with five loaves and two fishes. And God measured that small amount of food differently too!

I pray that you have a great day in Christ our Lord,

Bucky

Love The Neighbor, Pity The Scribes

Then He said to them in His teaching, “Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.” Mark 12:38-40

Uh oh, one scribe was close to the kingdom of heaven, but the others were far, far away. We can see various places or situations mentioned here where we face the same temptations. It is nice to get a good seat at an event. If one of us regularly prays in front of others it can become a performance instead of a prayer. The best seat at the feast gets to enjoy hot food, the seat way down yonder not so much. The long robe thing may have passed into history, but each of us has at least some desire to look good when we go out. Of course, underneath the surface temptations may lurk the desire to look down on our fellow humans, to show ourselves superior in some way. Jesus said to love our neighbor as ourselves. Those scribes don't sound very loving, and we can fall into the same trap.

Love to you, dear neighbor!

Bucky

Stretching Faith

Then Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David?  For David himself said by the Holy Spirit:

‘The LORD said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” ’

Therefore David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; how is He then his Son?”
--  Mark 12:35-37

For the past few messages, we have read how Jesus answered the scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees questions until none dared to ask him any more. Today, Jesus asks these groups of religious scholars and leaders a question of his own. To answer this question could save them, for it requires faith in David's Lord who sits before them. The Christ, Messiah in Hebrew, asks them to set aside what they think they know and read what the man after God's own heart said of Him. We know from the scriptures that most of them could not bring themselves to do it. We would not be able to do it without the Spirit of God in us. Faith requires us, or those long-ago religious leaders, to believe that Jesus was, and is, and always shall be. That's a stretch even with the word of God in hand for us to read. We can read how the disciple John understood it in the first verses of his gospel. (John 1:1-18)

Testify of the risen Lord Jesus, who was, and is, and always shall be,

Bucky

You Are Not Far

Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
But after that no one dared question Him.  Mark 12:34

A unique scribe answered Jesus wisely. We almost forget that even among the Pharisees there were a couple of them who believed, and this one scribe. Sadly, there do not seem to be any scriptural reports of Sadducees having faith or wisdom. What was that distance separating this one scribe from the kingdom of God? Believing that Jesus was Messiah. Not only was Messiah not far as in right there in front of the scribe, but the scribe was also close spiritually. However, if we recall John 3:16, there needs to be faith in Jesus for salvation. Agreement with Jesus is good, but believing in Him as Lord and Savior is much better. 

Have faith in Jesus!

Bucky

But What Is Love?

Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31

Jesus gave these two as the greatest of commandments in response to the scribe's question we read yesterday. But one problem presents itself right off, what is this love he speaks of? One definition from the notes states, [of persons] to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly.

"That last one really helps," he said sarcastically, "to love is to love dearly?"

Jesus gave us a definition that there is no greater love than to lay down one's life for his friends. Paul took up love in an entire chapter of his letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 13) 'Love is...' appeared on many drink glasses back in the day, but have we tamped down, shaken out, and sorted a definition of the word yet? Love, it seems, is a big word for having only four letters. We know it, but have trouble defining it in a simple way. Love is essential to the two greatest commandments and the new commandment Jesus gave, which was that we love one another. So, you and I will not go wrong by taking up a study of love in prayer and the word of God.

I love you like a pepperoni pizza! No, no, that's not quite the right definition, I think.

Bucky

Listen First

Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”  Mark 12:28

As I am at least a little bit on the socially-backward scale, that question burning in my heart would likely wait like this scribe waited. The Pharisees and Sadducees had likely made this scribe acutely aware of his standing as compared to their own in the Jerusalem pecking order. Or maybe he was just polite. Whatever the reason, this scribe listened first. So how do we listen first in our age? There is the Bible, the word of God, where we can 'listen' first by reading, study, and meditation. It is not always easy to think deeply on the word of God, it can poke at the conscience with some force. However, if treasure hunting is your thing, you will find it prospecting in the Word!

Great is the Word of God!

Bucky

Greatly Mistaken

He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are therefore greatly mistaken. Mark 12:27

The last sentence in our verse for today may be the most quoted or paraphrased line from the Bible. You may even hear it today at your workplace. People like to tell others how wrong they are. Jesus has a group of Sadducees who do not believe in resurrection, and thus make out God to be a god of the dead. Jesus concludes His teaching of them with our verse for today. We can take comfort from this conclusion in that as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob have passed away, gone to sleep or died, as we say, they are only dead in the way that the world knows it. As the God of the living, our Lord God waits for us to come to Him in a life that will not end. And as we know by faith, Jesus is the way to come to God the Father.

So, don't be like the Sadducees, there is life to come!

Bucky

Raised To Be Single?

For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. Mark 12:25

A lot of people get married in this life and believe in Jesus, in either order, and then run into this verse. And you can almost hear even now that moment of shock. As there will be a renewed earth one beautiful day, how does that lack of marriage work with being fruitful and multiplying to fill the earth? Even as a, thus far, single person, I kinda want to know how that will go. The next part causes a bit of concern as well. Like angels but not angels, how does that work? It seems that after we are raised from the dead, we will be learning some new ways. That's okay by me, some of the old ways are not so nice, like that sorrow and pain stuff. So, off to faith in Jesus we go, since we cannot understand all that is to come in our present state.

Life and love to you in Christ Jesus our Lord!

Bucky

What They Thought They Knew

Jesus answered and said to them, “Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?  Mark 12:24

The Sadducees were another of the groups who spent their lives studying the scriptures, or in this case a limited set of them, and debating them. Jesus responded to their absurdly long story question by telling them that they did not know the scriptures. And that is the point of the story. Well, see you tomorrow! 

No, really! Imagine these professors of the scriptures thinking to test Jesus, this upstart rogue preacher from Nazareth. They come up with their question, based on the doctrine of resurrection, which they do not believe in, and He calls out their ignorance and teaches them from their own scriptures! It is one of the proud getting schooled stories that we love from the gospels. But, we also must remember to not become like them too.

Have a great new day in Christ our Lord,

Bucky

Marvelous Answer

And Jesus answered and said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

And they marveled at Him. -- Mark 12:17

The Pharisees and Herodians had a win/win test for Jesus of Nazareth, or so they thought. If Jesus said to not pay taxes, they could turn him over to Rome. If he said to pay the taxes, they could call him out to the people as not loyal to Israel. Either way, they wanted him to get them out of paying the Roman taxes. Oh wait, no, they wanted to prove that Jesus was a false prophet. They really thought this was the winning question and a great trap for Jesus! But then he answered them.

We stand in awe of our Lord's ability to answer sudden questions and meet tough tests set by the religious authorities. Have you ever experienced that defensive reaction where you tell a lie in response to a challenging question? Yeah, me too. Jesus never did that and his answers were always perfect.

I'm so glad He came to save us,

Bucky

Giving Away His Vineyard

Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others. Mark 12:9

In this story we stand beside the vineyard, watching the events happen as Jesus tells them. After all that, we get this promise from the story in our verse for today. This vineyard owner is a picture of power. He has the power to destroy, but has not done so yet. Some of those standing beside the vineyard with us might deny that the owner even exists in his far country, even as his handiwork stands right there in front of them. The wicked vinedressers, still living the life for the moment, may have started that denial rumor and sold some illegitimate shares in their vineyard venture. A bystander would not want to be holding those shares when the vineyard owner comes at last. But what is this about giving the vineyard away?

The vineyard has not been profitable to the owner. He has lost servants and his son. In his grief, he may just give the thing away. As the owner, it is his right to do so. Would those deniers still deny his existence as he offers them the vineyard?

Believing in someone far away, whom you have never seen or heard, may be difficult, but we have good help in this faith.

Bucky

Cast Him Out

So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard. Mark 12:8

As the son and heir, the vineyard would have become his, but now he is dead and cast out. Wait, that sounds much like the judgment that comes at the end times. It does, and it fits. Is it any wonder that those who killed and cast out the Son of God would face the same when He returns in His glory? The Pharisees understood that the parable was directed at them, but they could not conceive of their good lives being subject to the judgment. Their solution to the mean ol' parable was to kill and cast out the offending storyteller. Well, just how good is that sort of life?

There will be those who cannot understand that the judgment comes for them,

Bucky

Judging The Master

Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ Mark 12:6

Reading the parable of the wicked vinedressers, we may come to this verse for today and judge the master of the vineyard rather harshly. "No, you fool!" might be the most polite comment when he comes to sending his one beloved son. The scribes and Pharisees got the meaning behind the words right off, and so do we when studying this parable. This parable is pointed - right at the religious leaders of Israel who first killed the Lord's prophets and soon would do the same to His Son, Jesus. So, since we get it, why do we feel the need to judge the Master when He sends His beloved Son in the parable?

Save me from my own nature, dear Lord Jesus!

Bucky

Off To The Far Country

Then He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. Mark 12:1

Aha! Story time. Jesus spoke in parables, and those familiar with the Bible recognize this one immediately. As we read the story, we also get read by the story. A person who prefers control might exclaim, "You fool! Why do all that work and then leave it in another person's hands?" A business builder might say, "Exactly correct! Who wants to be tied down managing the place. Move on to the next project." You will have your own reaction to what this man did, and what you might do differently. One among you might happily retire there to spend years researching and experimenting in his own vineyard, trying to achieve the perfect bottle of wine. After all, when Jesus provided wine at the wedding in Cana, He provided the best wine the master of the feast had ever tasted. So, enjoy being read by one of our Lord's stories, learn something of yourself.

Love and joy to you in Christ our Lord,

Bucky

In A Corner

But Jesus answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one question; then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things: The baptism of John—was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me.” Mark 11:29-30

Here's a good one for us. When looking at this story in Mark, what is the story? Is it the question Jesus asked, or is it the religious authorities getting together and refusing to answer? Confessing to not knowing is usually a good place to begin learning something. However, in this case the religious authorities used it to avoid answering one way or another. We would say they refused to engage with Jesus.

It began as a familiar exchange: they wanted Jesus to inform them of something, and Jesus countered with a knowledge for knowledge offer. You have this, I have that, let's make a deal. But when it came time for one side to perform, they discussed it and decided that they were afraid to answer His question. Jesus had neatly pinned the religious authorities in a corner, and they decided, in effect, to huddle in that corner until He went away. Oh, but they still wanted Jesus to answer their question. He didn't, and they missed an opportunity to learn and believe.

If you feel sad for these religious authorities, you are quite right!

Bucky

This One Again

(from July 22)

So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.  Mark 11:22-24

Oh, this one again. And the obvious questions that arise from it. Why didn't I get that thing I wanted? Why didn't this other thing happen when I believed? We often feel the temptation to look at this passage as a magical incantation to get whatever riches or fame we want. Some clues for us aspiring magicians: God cannot be forced to do things no matter what we say. God will not go against His own will. God cannot be made to give us something that is bad for us to have, even if we do not doubt. 

But, a protest comes forth, Jesus did not say that! Bible versions often put in headings, and these headings can separate the words of Jesus so that we stop too soon. Jesus after this says, "And whenever you stand praying..." He says to forgive. So, to believe and receive, I had better have my trespassers forgiven? Yes, a heart not aligned with God's will in forgiving will have trouble believing without doubting. And of course the biggest mountain that needs casting into the sea would be our sinful selfishness. Have faith in God and believe that will be accomplished first, and then see how many selfish prayer requests come to mind.  

Have faith in God, and don't try to be that selfish magician.

Bucky

Serving Forgiveness

And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses. Mark 11:25-26

Yow, hold onto that grudge at my peril! This is one of those promises that puts some fear into me. I know that my sins need to be forgiven, and that Jesus died on the cross to pay that judgment the Lord's justice demands. But, here Jesus speaks a promise that no forgiveness from me to others means no forgiveness for me from God. This passage of the scripture is a good reminder for those times when I might feel grumbly-hateful toward someone who I have something against. That lengthy session of imagined thumping of the rascal that I may indulge in carries a real danger for my much needed mercy and grace from God. Better to pray for the strength to forgive quickly and repeatedly than to hold onto that grudge a moment longer.

Quick! To the forgiveness locker, I have some to hand out, even some repeat customers to serve!

Love and grace to you in Christ our Lord,

Bucky

A House Of Prayer

Then He taught, saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’ ? But you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ”
And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.

Where is the good news in this? In His first question from Isaiah, Jesus reminds us of a prophecy about the temple. That the Israelites in our Lord's day were preventing it with their unlawful commerce does not mean that it will not still happen. A house of prayer in Jerusalem for all nations sounds like a time of peace on Earth. His disappointment was extreme because His people were stealing when they should have been facilitating the prayer place for Gentiles. The good news is that God's promise will come whether His chosen people work with Him or not. And of course seeking to destroy Him is about as uncooperative as it gets. However, God would use that murderous desire to facilitate a death on a cross to save the world!

Have a joyous new week in Christ our Lord,

Bucky

Driving Them Out

So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.  Mark 11:15-16

Jerusalem, the temple, a place of worship and quiet contemplation of the Lord. Except there was a thriving marketplace going on at this time - noise, animals, money, and crowds. Jesus was not against markets, but He was against a market being held right there. But He also had a name for this particular marketplace here in Mark - "den of thieves" (v17). It would seem this market was not entirely on the honest side of commerce. Into this den of thieves comes one some may have thought of as always nice. He makes a shambles of the marketplace. He is angry. And He leaves. Gentle and kind, humble and lowly of heart, but also angry when the situation demands, and nice was not called for by this den of thieves. Jesus is, and did not fit inside the box that some would place Him in. 

So, if you are one who thinks that Jesus will be nice because you are so nice, you might want to talk to some of those money changers who were no doubt quite nice to the clients as they fleeced 'em blind in the temple of the Lord. And maybe Jesus was being nice when He cleared the temple. 

Bucky

The Triumphant Entry

And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded. So they let them go. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it. And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Mark 11:6-8

A big moment in the ministry of Jesus begins with this colt. And things have gone just as our Lord said it would for the two disciples fetching the colt. Jerusalem has been prepared and stands ready to receive her king, or so it seems. Clothes and tree branches are spread on the road before Him. People shout out the verses foretold from the prophets. Surely this is how the Messiah will make everything right in the city and Israel will soon be great again. A great silence falls over us, broken only by a slow, steady drip of water into a pool. This was the same crowd who would soon shout to Pilate, "Crucify Him, crucify Him!" Within a week? What happened? Yes, reading the gospel accounts of that week, it is difficult for us to place the same people at either end of it. But that is how quickly hardened hearts can turn on their Savior.

Repentance or rejection, it seems like eternity should not be so quickly decided. Yet, it often is.

Bucky

A Test Of Faith

He said to them, “Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it. And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it,’ and immediately he will send it here.” Mark 11:2-3

Two disciples were sent on a mission. This mission appeared to be a mission of theft. Just take it. An equivalent for our time might be to get into a brand-new car that has just been delivered to a house and is sitting outside the garage. Jesus gave the two disciples specific instructions, but the response they were to give might not have felt all that solid to them. Saying, "The Lord has need of it," does not seem like a password that would work in an age of unbelief. However, when sent out, Jesus reminds the disciples in His special way, they may run into a believer just waiting for their chance to shine in the Lord's service. And the mission goes just as our Lord Jesus said it would.

All the two disciples had to do was believe and obey.

Bucky

When Your Way Becomes His Way

Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.  Mark 10:52

Bartimaeus had called out in faith and he wouldn't be shooshed. Okay, not an official, dictionary word, but we know his faith kept calling out as the crowd told him to shut up. Jesus then tells him that it wasn't the ability of Jesus but the faith of Bartimaeus that made him well. Do you doubt, go ahead, but it's the word of the Lord that was spoken. Of course we also know from scripture that it was the power of God in Christ that healed. Jesus said this thing about faith to others who were healed. However, when Jesus tells Bart to go his way, the healed man's way became following after Jesus. Faith does that. When we believe in Jesus, His way tends to become our way. 

It may not seem like it yet, but you and I are coming around to His way,

Bucky

Is That All?

So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.” Mark 10:51

At the end of Mark 10 we come to the story of a man outside Jericho begging. He was also blind. Jesus comes by, and the man calls out for mercy. And then Jesus asks the question we read in our verse for today, "What do you want Me to do for you?" The man was begging, we might see him asking for wealth so that he could give up his occupation. But the man wanted to see, as other people did all around him. We can almost hear Jesus sighing within himself, "Is that all?" The man had called out for mercy, and mercy we all need. But not for our physical limitations, we need mercy for our sin.

The story brings up one of our most common failings. We pray often for the short-term problems of this current life and set aside the spiritual need of forgiveness of sins for eternal life. I understand, I feel them too. Those problems of the body and emotion hurt right now. We keenly feel our pain and limitations. If pain grew muscles, we would all look like comic-book superheroes by now. But Jesus did not go to the cross because Bartimaeus was blind or we feel some pain. He died to save us from our sin.

A little more prayer for mercy, forgiveness of sin, and grace, may be in our eternal best interest,

Bucky

The Son of Man

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. Mark 10:45

Yesterday I promised more in the Son of Man title that Jesus used of himself. If you saw the episode in The Chosen show, Jesus causes the Pharisees to nearly fly out of their sandals when he uses the title from the prophet Daniel. That, for our edification, refers to Daniel 7:13-14, where one like the Son of Man comes with the clouds of Heaven to the Ancient of Days. The Pharisees would know the passage well, since it promises that the Son of Man will receive a gift.

Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom,
That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion. (Daniel 7:14a)

This is what the Pharisees and Israel expected of the Son of Man, and then Jesus comes along and says what is in our verse for today - to serve. The Pharisees refused to believe that the Son of Man could come to serve first, and then later receive His kingdom. They decided it was a blasphemy and to oppose Jesus. From their obstinacy, we the Gentiles gained the opportunity to believe in the Son of Man, so let's make the most of it!

To our Lord and King, Jesus the Christ, we believe in You!

Bucky

Service and Ransom

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.  Mark 10:45

One day in the dusty days of the Roman empire, you are out weeding a field of turnips when your neighbor's kid runs past shouting that the king of the universe is coming... to your house. Oh, dear! You run to gather the family and servants, advance bath day by a couple of days, and have them all put on their finest clothing. The king arrives and you prepare to serve him as best the household is able. 

The king then states, "No, I came to serve you and be a ransom for all your household." 

Ransom? You quickly count heads and find no one missing. How can a kidnapping have occurred? Serve the king, no wait, be served by the king, how will he know where the serving dishes are? Did he bring his chef? Whose food will he use in this service? 

We can easily see with just a short story that this statement Jesus made would shock the disciples. But there's more! That title Jesus used of Himself, Son of Man? 

When the King of kings arrives, will we be ready to be served? 

Bucky

Learning to Serve

But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. Mark 10:42-43

Danger, there will be some out there who want me to take the current president of a certain nation and have a go at him, but the lesson from our verses for today aims right at our part in this faith. Jesus told us by way of His disciples that if we want to append, the great, to our names as some of our rulers have done in the past, that we must become a servant. Oh, cool! I can serve as CEO, right? Do we suppose Jesus will be fooled by smooshing a few terms until they are unrecognized? We can say things like servant leadership or serving in the top position, but servant in our Lord's context probably meant something quite different.

Perhaps with prayer and scripture study we can learn to serve,

Bucky

The Greatest Ones

They said to Him, “Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.”
But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”
They said to Him, “We are able.”
-- Mark 10:37-39

James and John, the sons of thunder, did not know what they were asking, but they knew with that confidence born of ignorance that they could do it. They wanted to be the greatest ones among the disciples, and they asked first. I have enjoyed a similar confidence once or twice in my life, and we'll just say that ignorance can be a tough and humiliating teacher. And asking first makes no difference to ignorance, it will roll over the first with its full weight as well as it will the last to ask. James and John are granted what they ask. Oh, not the places that Jesus will admit He cannot give, but that cup and baptism they know nothing about. As always with this story, I have to wonder if James and John recalled their request as they saw Jesus crucified with two criminals, one on the right and the other on the left of Him.

The Independence Day holiday begins tomorrow for most of us. May the Lord God bless the United States and redeem us from our sins.

Bucky

Plainly Told 'Em

Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again. Mark 10:33-34

Some weather excitement last night. A little thumping on the roof, but it does not look like any damage in my immediate area. Now imagine that I told a story more like, "Last night a thunderstorm hit and I ran out to grab the cat, and a 15-lb hailstone whacked me into a coma for two weeks!" You would be nonplussed since clearly I just typed this message to you, and you know what a coma is. Jesus got a similar reaction from His disciples this third time He announced exactly what would happen to Him in Jerusalem. The disciples this time were like, "Yeah, okay. Did you guys see that shooting star last night? It was a whopper!" Jesus plainly told 'em, and they clearly blew it off.

Since we're imagining, now imagine you are a disciple and after blowing off three clear prophecies of what would happen, you are facing the risen Lord Jesus. What do you say to Him? Someone in your group has already done the "ghost!" thing out on the sea. So now what?

Love to you in Christ our Lord,

Bucky

But Not With God

But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”  Mark 10:27

Another way to be introduced to the Almighty is to hear that with Him all things are possible. Jesus states this in our verse for today in response to the disciples' astonished question, "Who then can be saved?" The disciples had just found out that the things we work for in this life cannot save us. Both religious obedience and wealth accumulation had presented themselves to the Master in one rich young ruler. And Jesus had told him that he lacked just one thing that required quite a list of tasks to obtain. Plus... the obedient young man could not do those tasks at that time. The one thing he lacked must come from God it seems, for with men it is impossible. 

All the things we may do from reading the word to selling all our possessions, from kneeling down and praying at an altar to religiously following the commandments and others may prepare the way for receiving salvation, but only God can provide it to us and for us. And it is debatable that doing all that can even prepare the way, since preparing the heart comes by way of the Holy Spirit. So, it is no wonder to us why the disciples were astonished. Peter even begins right after to say all that the disciples had done to follow Jesus. Sorry, Pete, it is still impossible for us. 

Have faith in God,

Bucky

Make A Little Security?

Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” Mark 10:23

Earthly riches: easy to preach against from the words of our Lord Jesus, popular to preach against because no one considers themselves rich. Seems like a win-win for the preacher. However, that same preacher needs a house, often provided by the church that takes in offerings to pay for the house. Those offerings consist of bits of other peoples riches. Some struggle with that monthly dilemma between wanting to give an offering and being short on the bills of the household. Others may have enough to ponder on where the dividing line might be between rich and not rich, so that they are not left out of the kingdom of God that Jesus will mention in the following verse (v24). For all the struggle and effort we put in to make a little security and not worry about riches, we sure seem to have much to worry over when it comes to riches! And then Jesus went and said to not worry over riches back in the big sermon. Aigh!

You and I are not alone in this. The disciples also were astonished at our Lord's statement. They probably looked to the rich young man with some envy as an example of success in this world. "Obeyed the commandments, got rich, if he can't get into the kingdom of God, who will?!!" they may have muttered among themselves. Actually, that's simply a dramatic version of the disciples' question, "Who then can be saved?" in verse 26. We do not have to worry over rich or not-rich though, but to come to the One who has possible firmly in hand. We will meet Him next time as we continue this story of the rich young ruler.

Love to you in Christ our Lord,

Bucky

What Would Be Your One Thing?

Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”  Mark 10:21

Our first response to our Lord's statement this morning might be, "That's one thing?" However the one thing our Lord had for that particular young man might not be the same for you or me. I might ask, "Is there one thing for me or a whole bunch of things I lack?" Of course, the one thing this young man lacked was faith in Jesus. We see in the story that he was good on the commandments, but could not give up his life as it was that day. And that one thing may cause many of us to stumble. 

We can build up quite a castle here on earth, whether we live in a grass hut or a 20-room house on a large acreage. Hut or  house, we will fill our castle with things we need and like, and then protect the walls as best we are able. As much as Heaven is described in the Word of God, it still seems to us kind of out there and ungraspable. It is hard for us to work for something so promised, when things here are touchable and visible. The rich young man could stand on his property, but treasure in heaven was kind of... not there yet? Let us pray for one another that there is no one thing holding us back from all that Jesus would give to us as treasure in heaven. 

May the blessed love of Jesus be with you today,

Bucky

You Know Those

You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother. Mark 10:19

You know those commandments, or do you? Adultery, murder, steal, false witness, defraud...wait, do not defraud? Where is that in the big ten? Yes, the reasoning of the flesh would have us argue with the Master. I'm sure that in those call centers, you know the ones, there are those who would say that what they are doing is not stealing since the 'customer' gave the money to them. Jesus shows us by this that combinations of the commandments can trip us up as well. Bearing false witness - your PC is infected with the doomsday virus! - and then accepting money for fixing their machine so that it can be, oh, unfixed again to get more money, will not slip through a net of the ten commandments when the judgment comes. But, so easily do we see the carnal excuses in others while what, forgetting that beam in our own eye?

Rejoice in the Lord, and let Him split those beams for us,

Bucky

The Only One

So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God."   Mark 10:18

Hmm, certainly lots of Pharisees had a difference of opinion on that. Only One is good, that is, God. It is one of the more astonishing recordings of our Lord's words. Did He just say that He wasn't God? Yet He will later tell His disciples that He and the Father are one. (John 10:30) Or perhaps He says that we, born fallen sinners, are unable to tell who is good, and thus we should begin with God alone? 

The story begins with a man running up to Jesus and kneeling at His feet and asking, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" Always with the unbeliever it is the action one may take without God in order to gain everlasting life. "What must I do?" becomes a way to reject what Jesus came to do for all who will believe in Him. When asking after eternal life in worldly unbelief, does the man understand that it isn't a continuation of his life of many possessions? Apparently not, as in the last verse of this story, the man goes away sorrowful. He wanted to know what he could do to gain what he wanted, yet he didn't want to do once he found out what he needed to do. 

Since Jesus did for us what we needed for eternal life, let us just accept His already done. 

And God is good!

Bucky

Infant First, Then Child

But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Mark 10:14

Good morning! It is just about to turn Saturday in Auckland, New Zealand as I write this. But I'm firmly at the start of Friday here in our little town in northeast Colorado. In the scriptural today, we come to a moment where His disciples did a thing that greatly displeased their rabbi, our Lord Jesus. And then Jesus says of little children, "for of such is the kingdom of God." Uh, oh, I'm way past the little child stage of life, does that mean that I am disqualified? I like my little tractor toys, does second childhood count? Oh, and the next verse makes it even worse, as only those who receive the kingdom of God as a little child will enter it. Oh, dear! So, if I wasn't saved way back then, I'm doomed?

In John 3, Jesus offers us a clue through His talk with Nicodemus. That famous teacher-baffling line comes, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” So, just to see the kingdom of God, one must be born again, and then to enter it one becomes a little child. That makes more sense as a little child comes right after a newborn infant. Therefore, Jesus has not introduced something new, but a continuation of His lesson to Nicodemus. We must be born again of the Spirit of Truth (see John 16), and then grow in the love and grace of Jesus Christ to enter into the kingdom of God.

Love and joy to you in Christ our Lord,

Bucky

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

They Kept Silent

Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?” But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. Mark 9:33-34

Hey, you disciples, your Rabbi asked you a question. There are those times when a teacher will catch us students in a place we should not have gone. We know it, and like the disciples we may not want to speak the answer for fear of incriminating ourselves. Setting the students on the right path goes with the job of teacher or rabbi, and Jesus has a lesson for His greatness-seeking disciples: be the servant of all. In the Gentile world, we tend to think it would be great to be the top dog and be served by all. (And of course get the most loot to spend from that position.) There is an interesting question in this world. How can we be servants of all and not taint it with a desire for wealth and fame? Maybe I will keep silent until I can answer that one.

Good thing Jesus has an answer!

Bucky

Stalwart Heroes Of The Faith

For He taught His disciples and said to them, “The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.” But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him. Mark 9:31-32

With the story in hand from all four gospels, it seems hard for us to understand the disciples' lack of understanding in this. However we might understand the fear of asking they felt as we have known an 'afraid to ask' moment or two ourselves. We have also known persons who did not go to the doctor to get something checked out because they feared the diagnosis. You or I might even know that fear personally. The disciples may be feeling a similar sort of fear in this scripture we read today. Jesus stated it plainly, but ignorance felt better than acceptance to His stalwart heroes of the faith. Yes, they were anything but that in this moment of scripture. And yet, eleven of these twelve would be there when the Spirit of truth arrived on a day known as Pentecost.

Jesus can work big changes in us too. Have faith in Him!

Bucky

Became As One Dead

When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!” Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.  Mark 9:25-27

Jesus used His authority to rebuke and expel the demon. But for that brief moment he appeared as one dead, hardly the result the kid's dad wanted, I would think. Jesus was there though, and the child was raised up by the hand of our Lord. Was the man's son dead or just mostly dead? We may wonder in circles over it, but Jesus was there, the child lives. 

Find Jesus there with you in prayer, and live!

Bucky

Him Who Believes...And The Rest Of Us

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” Mark 9:23-24

"If you can believe, all things are possible." That has been used to pad quite a few pockets and stomp on some heads on the way up the ladder of worldly success. However, grab just a tiny bit of the context of the story and we find the man who represents all of us when it comes to belief and doubt. That great, earnest, and appropriate for you and me, prayer comes with tears from the father of a child the disciples could not set free of an evil spirit. "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" It says all we need to know of that battle within us between the newborn faith in Jesus we have and the old crusty doubts of worldly experience. What we think we know is easy and right here; who we believe in is up there, somewhere, invisible. We think how much it would help if Jesus were back right here. But for the man in the story, Jesus was right there - and still he begged for help with his unbelief.

So, you and I are not alone in this fight of faith versus doubt that prevents us from doing those great things Jesus promised. Let us pray together for help with our unbelief.

Bucky

Faithless Generation

He answered him and said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.” Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth. Mark 9:19-20

After the disciples had their failure that we read of last week, Jesus has a commentary on all of them. "O faithless generation...how long shall I bear with you?" A comment of exasperation comes from our loving Lord Jesus. The Good Shepherd has sheep who are acting like sheep. The problem is not with the Lord, of course, it is with unbelief in the whole of His chosen generation. We might think it would be a treat to be with the Lord Jesus as He healed and taught in those days, but this should give us a nudge to reconsider. Unbelief or faithlessness was huge in the time of Jesus. Praise God we were born into that age when the good news went out to the Gentiles and we were called to believe in Jesus the Christ.

Rejoice this week in Jesus our Savior,

Bucky

A Scribe-ish Dispute

And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him. And He asked the scribes, “What are you discussing with them?”  Mark 9:14-16

When Jesus disputed with the scribes, it was shutdown city. The disciples appear to be having some difficulty with that. When the multitude and scribes see Jesus though, the disciples are dumped like a creepy first date. The dispute might even have been dropped as well except that Jesus asked what was going on. And as the story goes in our next reading, the disciples had a massive fail. So what was the dispute? In some cases the scribes would have been ecstatic to see the disciples of Jesus fail at something. We can easily guess the dispute; the failure happened and then a scribe or two opened their mouths and criticized, or mocked, maybe even scoffed. But Jesus arrives for the disciples, and all will be alright now. Or, will it? 

We continue the glorious story of our Lord next time,

Bucky

Encapsulated

But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him. Mark 9:13

Yesterday we read how Elijah will come, but today he has already come? It may be that Jesus refers to John the Baptist, who came in the spirit and power of Elijah, and also to that witness of the two from Revelation 11. Prophecies have been seen to have both past and present, or past and future fulfillments. However, yesterday it was foretold (sorry, prophecy pun) that we would look into that bit Jesus encapsulated between His Elijahs. That part where the Son of Man must be treated with contempt.

With the advantage of the Gospels as history, we can see what the disciples in that moment could not yet see. Jesus was indeed treated with contempt, and executed by the Romans on the cross. We know by this advantage what the disciples should have recalled from many prophecies available to them including, Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, and many others. Well ain't we just the learned uber-disciples! Without the enabling of the Spirit of God, faith in Jesus, and the study of His word, we would be facing the same difficulty as those disciples of our Lord's. We enjoy a little distance and a lot of scripture; they had to learn on the spot.

Praise and glory to our Lord Jesus Christ!

Bucky

Elijah Coming First

Then He answered and told them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things. And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt? Mark 9:12

Elijah comes from the Old Testament for us, but does not get his own book. From his story though, this prophet may be more famous than many of the others. We see that among all the prophets, Elijah gets a special mention here in our verse for today by Jesus. The disciples had asked Him why the scribes said that Elijah must come first. And part of the response Jesus gave them was interesting to say the least. "Restores all things"? From his story in 1 Kings, Elijah was a restorer sent by God to bring Israel back to the worship of their one God, Jehovah. So...will it be Elijah who returns and brings back the temple worship in the Revelation? Entirely possible as Revelation 11 tells of two witnesses, that is prophets by another name, who will stand against the man of lawlessness.

Then, what about that next part with the Son of Man? Tomorrow, the Lord willing, we will get into that.

Love and joy to you in Christ our Lord!

Bucky

Learning From Their Confusion

Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant. Mark 9:9-10

This is not the first time that Jesus did a marvelous thing, and then said to keep quiet about it. This time He does give them a time for bearing witness, a condition once met that will allow them to tell what they had just seen. But then He goes and baffles them with that same condition. Rising from the dead? We may recall that it was these same three disciples who went with Jesus to restore the life of Jairus' daughter. Yet they were left confused by what Jesus said of Himself. It is easy to laugh at these befuddled disciples.

However, we only know what they do not because of the witness they wrote down for us later on in their respective missions. These three disciples told their stories enough after Jesus rose from the grave that we have four gospels to study and learn what they could not understand at that time. It is always tougher for the one in the spotlight to see what is going on. Laugh? No sir, we are grateful to God to learn from their witness, and their confusion.

I pray that you enjoy a lovely and loving Memorial Day weekend,

Bucky

Never A Moment Like This

Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”— because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid.  Mark 9:5-6

Jesus standing there in His glorious attire, now Moses and Elijah show up. Of course the disciples were a little overwhelmed by this. Didn't know what to say? Oh, like you and I have never had a moment like that. Peter said something anyway. And God makes intercession for him by speaking from above and letting the disciples know that it was a listening time. Yes, a time when it was perfectly alright to not speak. 

Pastors, known themselves for a certain yak-ability, often emphasize the speaking part of our great mission. But there are times for listening as well, as I often try to remember to remind myself during my prayer time. For a known quiet person, I can in prayer produce quite a torrent of words toward the Almighty. Listening in prayer may be an overlooked portion of our daily walk with the Lord. Some of us might even think that a contradiction. Prayer, be quiet and listen? How can that be? Perhaps the Lord has something to say, if only He could get a word in edgewise. 

Pray and listen,

Bucky

Transfigured

Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.  Mark 9:2-3

Laundry detergent sellers to this day advertise their product's whitening ability, but why take just three of the twelve disciples? Jesus became something like they had never seen before, but was there something special about the three disciples? Many similar questions may lead us back to a 'bee in the bonnet' as the old folks used to say. Jesus does something out of this world amazing, and we are stuck wondering over something else and missing the point. Perhaps our earthly mind of the flesh wants to take refuge in a criticism when a miracle appears before it. The Pharisees did this sort of thing all the time during our Lord's ministry. He would heal a blind man, and they would say, "Show us a sign!" We laugh and point at those Pharisees, but we had better be careful not to do the same thing. Jesus showed Himself in His spectacular glory for just a brief time. Praise God!

Bucky

Standing Here

And He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.” Mark 9:1

Jesus had a habit of presenting the disciples and all readers of the word with extraordinary statements such as this one in our reading today. In Mark, this statement comes just before, okay, six days before the transfiguration on the mountain. So, was that it? Statement fulfilled and all is done with it? Or, did Jesus mean the rushing mighty wind of Pentecost that would fill the disciples with power of the Word of God? Those two words, standing here, mean that this is one of the few statements of Jesus that does limit it to those who were there to hear Him at that time. We do not have to wonder at a future fulfilment to watch for or if we missed something in our walk with Jesus. But there is that other word just before that, some standing here.

Whoa, for those standing there, they would be left with a lingering, am I one of the some or not? We know from the story that Judas Iscariot would not be one to stay around to see the presentation. If we go back a few verses, we also find out that Jesus had called not just the disciples to Him, but the people also (Mark 8:34). Once again this leads us to Pentecost and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Not so fast though, what about the Resurrection? Well yes, that's certainly a presentation of power from our Lord!

Praise God for the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, the king of the kingdom of God!

Bucky

Losing A Saving Desire

For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. Mark 8:35

Does this verse mean that everyone who believes in Jesus must die a martyr? I can think of many saints who have died of old age in bed. Did they lose their eternal life with Jesus for a peaceful death? No, I think this verse is about that desire to control the outcome by our worldly means. Many people in this world want to live forever, and they have an idea of how to do it. A news show once ran a story of a man who ate nothing but pills. I would imagine his dinner parties might be a bit dull in the food department.

Science fiction writers have told tales of planets where the natives live forever or beings of pure energy who were supposedly better than us (kind of a low bar to set) dwelt, and many others. These tales have a tendency to leave out the One who offered us eternal life because, well, the control thing. No one, it seems, in our first birth wants to cede control in order to gain that life we seek.

So, along comes Jesus who died to save us from our desire for control of the first life to gain that eternal life we really want.

Peace and life to you in Christ Jesus our Lord!

Bucky

End The Debate

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  Mark 8:34

Oh, no, the 'take up my cross' thing. This one will bring out the debaters every time it is preached. Does that mean to pound two huge boards together and start dragging that around? One guy did that through the nations of the world, but that was his cross. (Look up the story of Arthur Blessitt to learn more.) We tend to get hung up on that in this verse, but there is so much more for us to do. First there must be a desire to come after Jesus, and that is not a default mode for us by any means. Then that desiring person must deny the self. Whoa, that self is a noisy, needy one. How does one go about shutting that racket down? Then, we get to the cross-taking bit. And by the way, follow Jesus after all of that. Whew! That's a lot to figure out. 

Maybe we do not need to debate with each other what taking up our cross means, but instead come in repentant prayer to the One who can lead us down this path He has laid out for us. 

The Lord will guide us,

Bucky

Not The Best Response?

And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. Mark 8:31-32

Teachers, have you ever taught a lesson that seemed to bounce off your students? Did one of them take you aside to give you a butt chewing because he/she didn't believe you? Jesus had that experience here in our scripture for today. We know from our studies in the Word that what Jesus taught would come to pass exactly as He foretold. Peter wasn't having any of that defeatist talk though, and he took the Son of God aside to the rebuking room.

When the pastor reminds us, "response required," this one may not be among the top ten best responses to the word of the Lord. Especially when giving that required response to the Lord's own face. Well, the Lord can respond too, and His rebuke of Peter in the following verse reminds us that Jesus can be firm in His love when required.

But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” (v33)

Ow!

Bucky

You Are The Christ

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.”
Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.
  -- Mark 8:29-30

One of Peter's shining moments arrives in our verses for today. He gets to confess what Israel cannot see yet. And then Peter will go on to show that he does not quite get who the Christ will be. But for today, let us celebrate with Peter the given knowledge that Jesus is the Christ. Which could be a problem since Peter and the other disciples were strictly warned to tell no one. So, one has to wonder how we came to know? Timing belongs to Jesus our Lord of course! And a time would come when not only was this warning lifted, but the disciples were given a commission to take the good news of Jesus into all the world. That we believe in Jesus shows that they carried out that commission.

Have a great new week in Christ Jesus!

Bucky

A Little Adjustment

And he looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking.”
Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. Then He sent him away to his house, saying, “Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town.  Mark 8:24-26

Bethsaida, and another blind man brought to Him. Jesus leads the man out of town and then spits on him. Yes, no mud or clay this time, just spat right in his face. And, hold the wonder, the first attempt does not get it quite right. A little adjustment is needed. 

If a person does not want to believe in Jesus, then this incident at Bethsaida gives plenty of opportunity for doubting Him. The full restoration of sight was a multi-step process this time. Why? And then, this man was another of those commanded to tell no one of his miraculous healing. But wouldn't they ask? Of course they would, or at least they would have if Jesus hadn't told the man to leave town. This man's needs were clearly different from the blind beggar in John 9, though the methods had a spitting similarity. 

Will we ever understand Jesus fully? Maybe, maybe not.

Bucky

Reason Together With God

Then He charged them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”
And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have no bread.”
-- Mark 8:15-16

We have been there where the disciples are in this scriptural moment reasoning among themselves. Sometimes we even do that reasoning among just the self and come up with similar wrong answers. This sort of useless reasoning is why God invited us in Isaiah 1:18 to reason together with Him. His reasoning is what we need most, and He is glad to lead us and take us with Him.

God is our answer, and the answer came down as a man named Jesus,

Bucky

Testing Him

Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him. But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation.”  Mark 8:11-12

Testing the Lord Jesus was a sure sign of their unbelief. But was it even a test Jesus could pass? The Pharisees had heard about the water into wine from Cana. Some were present when Jesus told the paralytic to get up and take his bed. The Pharisees had protested His work healing the blind man on Sabbath. So what sort of sign were they seeking? What could possibly satisfy their hardened hearts? Then of course, God the Son stood before them. Could there be a stronger sign than that? If their unbelief was so strong that they could ignore Jesus the Son, then nothing was what Jesus would give them. He cast no pearls before these faithless swine. 

Grateful we are to God this morning that He gave us faith to believe in His Son,

Bucky

His Compassion Works

I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar. Mark 8:2-3

Jesus could have started with the questions, ones such as we ask so often. Why didn't you prepare? Where is your traveling food? What is the matter with you people? But Jesus saw the problem and expressed His compassion for the hungry mass of people before Him. The multitude isn't quite as large as the last time, but still just as impossible to feed in the normal means available to those there at that moment. We might ask some questions of Jesus too. Why did you draw them so far out into the wilderness? Couldn't you have turned the crowd around yesterday? You may notice that none of the hypothetical questions I have given to 'us' in this story do anyone any good. The compassion of Jesus had solutions, even as He asked His disciples what they were going to do about the problem. His compassion works...at feeding the multitude, teaching the disciples, and preparing lessons for us to come along and learn these centuries later.

So let's learn from Him!

Bucky

Gross Disobedience

Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it. And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.” Mark 7:36-37

At the end of a tale of healing, we run into a tale of gross disobedience of our Lord Jesus. It is so far into rebel territory, that as Jesus commands it drives them further into disobeying Him. What horrible wrath of Heaven did He rain down on these rebels? Was it a sin to disobey the Son of God when the very same act would become a great commission after His resurrection? Was Jesus using a reverse psychology trick to get what He wanted? It is rather difficult not to tell of someone who does all things well, just ask any grandparent. This tale does come from a bit of ironic humor. Jesus had just healed a deaf-mute, and then told him to tell no one.

A secret surely is hard to keep!

Bucky

Special Treatment

And she answered and said to Him, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs.”
Then He said to her, “For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter.” Mark 7:28-29

Why did this Syro-Phoenician woman need special treatment? For explanation, let's take it back a little bit to when each of us were born. We don't recall a thing. Okay, but our mothers know, and they can help us here. If dear Mum had more than one child, she loved each one. She could also tell tales of the differences each baby needed in her care. While similar in needs for feeding, cleaning, and so on, each baby also had its special needs. So what does that have to do with Jesus?

Go back again a little further in time to the meeting of Jesus with Nicodemus one night. Jesus told the Teacher of Israel that he had to be born again. Ah, that sounds like a baby thing. Yes, it does. Jesus is in the business of raising spiritual babies, ones born of the Spirit. And thus, each one may need some special treatment such as the blind man in John 9 or this woman in our scripture for today.

Did your coming to Jesus receive a special treatment?

In Christ alone,

Bucky

Tailor Made

The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. But Jesus said to her, “Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” Mark 7:26-27

He held an important authority and she wanted it used to free her daughter. Then Jesus says what to us seems a refusal and an insult all in one. It comes from a short, but curious story in two gospels. It appears on the surface that this Gentile woman must work hard to gain what Jesus had before spread so freely among multitudes. It is another example of how Jesus tailor made each healing to fit what the person needed both physically and spiritually. We do not know why one blind man needed a paste of dirt and spit to heal his sight. Nor are we told why this woman needed to make her request and then do some reasoning with the Lord Jesus to get her daughter released from the demon. In both cases, Jesus did the healing with a little different method than many others.

Your need awaits His tailor made solution; be patient or active, whatever He requires.

Bucky

Did Jesus Just...?

When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear Me, everyone, and understand: There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!” Mark 7:14-16

Even His disciples questioned Him away from the crowd. What was He saying about all those dietary laws? Diet remains a debated subject to this day. But Peter had that dream. And Paul addressed the meat offered to idols. And Jesus went on from our passage for today to explain about the stomach pathway and how that food going in does not defile a person. The stirring conclusion our Lord Jesus presented was that while worry over food consumes us, we miss the vile outpouring of our sinful hearts.

And He said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” Mark 7:20-23

Phew! What a pile. Wouldn't it be easier to fret about food? Yes, but we are not called to 'easier'.

Bucky

Pray To Stay

He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:

This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.
  -- Mark 7:6-7

This response from Jesus comes out of a story of washing, as in traditional washing handed down and policed by the Pharisees and scribes. The Pharisees had asked why the disciples following Jesus had not washed their hands before eating bread. The disciples were not dirty in the way of sanitation, but unclean by the traditions. Jesus named them hypocrites and told of a fulfilled prophecy of Isaiah, vain worship and man-made traditions for doctrine. How did they accomplish this? Lip service to God and hearts that were far from Him. 

Pray to stay with Jesus,

Bucky

The Healer

Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well. Mark 6:56

By this point in His ministry, Jesus can no longer slip into a place unnoticed. The people of every place had heard of His healing and they ran to bring to Him all of their sick and lame. That certainly is a need for the moment in this life, but what did they hear from Him? Did anyone accept the words of life that He brought? Are we any better? Or do we run to Jesus in prayer when something hurts only to forget about Him when things go well for us.

I wonder sometimes if it was easier for those people to see Jesus as SuperNurse, healer of all who touch the hem of His garment, than as the Savior of the sinners or even Messiah. We desire His instant healing today, but what we need is His salvation.

Rejoice in patience, He returns,

Bucky

Walk The Storm

Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by. And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” Mark 6:48-50

It is a famous little story of walking the waters of the Sea of Galilee. Just the Son of Man out for a stroll on a dark and stormy night on top of the water. In such a circumstance, one can see how easy it would be to cause a mass panic with just one word, "ghost!" Storm outside, storm inside, and Jesus speaks a word or two, "Be of good cheer!" Did that ghost just say to be of good cheer? And some think there is no humor in Jesus. The words we want to hear from Him are there too, "It is I, do not be afraid." There are times in life when we look and a+b+c adds up to 'Aaaugh!' And then our Lord tells us to not be afraid. And invites us to walk the storm with Him.

So, take His hand and walk the storm!

Bucky

Prayer Priority

Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away. And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray. Mark 6:45-46

In the scriptural now of our verses today, Jesus has performed the signs set for Him by the Father, and He has a priority that requires some alone time. What was so important that Jesus must get alone? He had a prayer priority, as the words of the scripture tell us. The thousands that Jesus fed with a couple of fishes and five little loaves were sent home. His precious disciples chosen out of the world were sent across the Sea of Galilee. Jesus had an important meeting, and one we should take note of. Jesus sets for us an example to follow.

But, we may protest, the pastor prayed yesterday, the song leader said a prayer over the offering, the altar assistant prayed to start the communion, and a kid named Bubba came in from the street and prayed to start the fellowship dinner. Now you say we need to get alone for a special prayer? Oh yeah we do! Praying together in the fellowship does its thing, but Jesus showed and told us to pray alone with God. You, me, Bubba, and even the pastor, each need our alone time with God in prayer. Therefore, by divine command:

Enjoy a little prayer time today!

Bucky

Send Them Away?

But He answered and said to them, “You give them something to eat.”
And they said to Him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?” Mark 6:37

Sometimes we, like the disciples of Jesus in our verse today, have an idea of what Jesus can do for us. In verse 36, the disciples tell their rabbi to send them away, the easier solution to the problem. Nevermind that this multitude at least five thousand strong had just journeyed far to get there and they were nearly famished right then. "Send them away," was their solution. Jesus had a different option for His disciples, you guys feed them. Has a leader ever given you or I a more difficult task on the spot? It would be a different matter entirely if they were standing in a commercial kitchen with well-stocked walk-in refrigerators and freezers. But they were out in the lonely wilderness. What to do?

The disciples examine a couple of options, 200 denarii worth of bread, a couple of fishes and a few loaves, but they are each inadequate to the task at hand. And that is where we stand before the Lord Jesus too, inadequate. Fortunately for the disciples and for us, Jesus already had provision from His Father on the line and ready to roll. Like the disciples, once our inadequacy has been shown to us, and we believe in Him, then we get to help with the distribution of His provision. For the disciples it was food that day, for us it is the good news of the salvation of Jesus Christ.

Have a wonderful weekend with Jesus!

Bucky

Let's Take A Break

Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves. Mark 6:30-32

This small portion of the disciples journey seems right out of our lives today - busy, busy, busy. Jesus invites them to go to a deserted place for a little break. As we often run into, the next line after this scripture passage for today tells of their success. But the multitudes saw them departing...(v33). Oh dear, and yes those multitudes run, not walk, run to meet Jesus and His disciples in the formerly deserted place. This attempted break from their busy lives is of course the set up for the feeding of the 5,000. This event is memorable enough for the disciples that all four gospel accounts tell the story for us. The miracle of feeding thousands from a boy's lunch causes us to marvel to this day over the Lord's provision in that deserted place.

So, look to Jesus and keep on marvelin'!

Bucky

Dear Ol' Murderous Mum

He also swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”
So she went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask?”
And she said, “The head of John the Baptist!”
Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 
Mark 6:23-25

The young woman performed so well that she earned a great reward from the king, But, she didn't know what to ask. However, upon consultation with her mother, dear ol' murderous Mum, she knew just what to ask for - the head of John the Baptizer. She may have added a platter to avoid needing to handle the head when it was brought to her. A smart move, because the story tells us that Herod in his hasty magnanimity caught himself in a pickle. He didn't want to fulfill their request, but he had made that oath in front of everyone. So who will suffer the judgment for this murder of one of God's holy prophets? 

Jesus did not condemn any of them. So, does that mean they could receive the forgiveness Jesus earned on the cross? Certainly, even murder was not off the table for salvation. All they needed to do was believe in Jesus the Christ... and confess to the murder of His voice of one crying in the wilderness. Woof! And I once thought my sins were hard to confess. 

Rejoice in the Christ, we have His forgiveness available to us all!

Bucky

Held Against Him

Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him. And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. Mark 6:19-20

An illegitimately married couple, and she wants to kill the messenger while he wants to keep the man around. That should cause a bit of tension in the household.

In between the recording of the miracles and teachings of Jesus, we get how things are in the world. A queen who saw the easier way out was to murder a man. A king who could be easily outmaneuvered by his lust. A daughter who was a willing tool to her mother's ends. And, a just and holy man who was such a refreshing change for the time that the king liked having him around. When the good news of Jesus meets the way of the world, there will be a resounding clash. Some will hear it gladly, but may never believe. Others want to kill the messenger.

To God be the glory!

Bucky

A More Tolerable Judgment

Also He said to them, “In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place. And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!”  Mark 6:10-11

In Sunday School it was taught how Abraham did some dickering with the Lord and got Him down to ten righteous men found in Sodom could avoid the destruction coming upon it. Even ten did not work out as all the men of the wicked city demanded to know the two angels of the Lord in a carnal manner. That we would agree is some serious wickedness. So when a town in Israel rejected the two disciples and their message sent by Jesus, Sodom and Gomorrah would receive a more tolerable judgment? That places so wicked would have less to fear in judgment than a place that rejected the words of Jesus tells us of a surpassingly important message. 

Maybe it's good news! 

Bucky

The Not-So-Triumphant Return

But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.  Mark 6:4-6

A few people leave their town after graduating high school and their intention is to return triumphantly at some future date with fame, fortune, and family well-earned and in hand. Okay, maybe more than a few. However, if the intention included a career as a prophet, their triumphant return was doomed before it even began. Apparently no one offered to name any streets after local boys turned prophets.

Jesus had returned to His hometown and found not even honor amongst His fellow Nazarenes. Unbelief in Him ran to a marvelous amount in Nazareth, such that Jesus could only do a few healings, Mark tells us. But wait, the Son of God could do no mighty work? Yes, because it seems that faith in the Christ is not forced on anyone. So, only works of personal healing, no big signs, and no triumphant return. 

At least, not yet, on the triumphant return. We know one is coming!

Bucky