Mark 8:22-26 – A second touch

This account of the healing of the blind man took place in Bethsaida. He was brought to Jesus by some well-meaning friends. A person without sight is pitiful. The sightless condition makes it difficult for this victim to move freely. At least this blind man here had friends who cared about his condition and were willing to take Him to the Lord. So they brought him to Christ, implying that they believed Jesus could heal the friend. They came imploring Him to touch their blind friend. Notice that they actually figured out how the Lord should do it, to touch him.

Unlike another blind man by the name of Bartimaeus recorded in Mark 10:46, this man was passive and did not seem very enthusiastic. In fact his friends were more enthusiastic than him. This could account for why Jesus led him aside and out of the village, possibly to build rapport with him to encourage him to put his total trust in the Lord. More importantly, the Lord saw in this man a soul needing a restoring touch and not an instrument to be used to promote His ministry.  

What’s interesting in this account is also the way Jesus healed him and the progressive nature of the healing. Jesus first spat on the blind man’s eyes, then He laid His hands on them and asked, “Do you see anything?”  He could see people but only as trees walking. Up to this point his healing was partial. Then the Lord touched him a second time by laying His hand on the pair of blind eyes again. This man, with eyesight now restored, looked intensely and saw everything clearly. He discovered that he had a 20/20 vision and saw the people as the Lord saw them. We are puzzled as to why the Lord sent him home and did not want him to return to the village. Probably, He did not want people to come running after Him just for the sensational stuff.  This also tells us that the Lord was more concerned for the man than for what mileage He could gain out of his healing.

More than the healing, this story underscores that we need a second touch from the Lord. The whole idea here is that the Lord does not want us to see people only as things. When this blind man first saw, he saw people only as objects, moving about. He saw men as trees. How often people are taken to be objects to be manipulated for the ministry. The Lord wants us to see people as those whom He loves and died for. He wants us to see beyond the superficial veneer of human life. People do have a far deeper need beneath the outward surface. Everyone needs Jesus.

We also need to know that when the Lord first touched us, we already could see, but usually not as He sees them. From this account, we can tell that the Lord wants us to see people as He sees them. If we care to admit, we will realize that to see people as the Lord sees them, we would require a second touch from Him. Let’s come to Him for a brand new touch today!

Mark 8:11-21 – Triumphing over spiritual insensitivity

Mark tells us in verse 11 that the Pharisees approached Jesus and argued with Him. They came seeking a sign from Him. The Lord refused to pander to their demands. It’s a case of the hardness of heart. They were the perfect illustration of the saying that “None is so blind, as one who refuses to see.” So the Lord forthrightly told them that no sign will be given to this generation. With that, the Lord and His disciples departed from there.

As they were traveling in the boat, He began to warn them about the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod. He was warning about the negative influence emanating from these two sects. There seems to be a disconnection between the one loaf of bread they brought along with them and the warning Jesus was giving. But this tells us very obviously that they had already forgotten about what the Lord had done with the seven loaves and few fish. So as the Lord referred to leaven, they associated it as a rebuke from Him that they did not bring enough bread with them. So they discussed with each other saying “…we have no bread.” They were dull and confused and had completely misunderstood what the Lord was saying.  

Here the Lord was warning them about being spiritually insensitive to God despite His many obvious signs. He wanted them to see that the spiritual dullness of the Pharisees made them unperceptive to the truth. The incarnate Son of God was clearly among them, doing all the wonderful signs and teaching all the wonderful truths, yet they could ask for another sign. How did they get to that condition, if not for the hardness of their heart?

The Lord expected the Pharisees to be spiritually insensitive but not the Twelve whom He had spent so much time with. They saw Him close-up yet they fail to connect between what He did and with Who He is. The Lord also wanted His disciples to see what could produce spiritual insensitivity. He was aware that they had completely misunderstood Him by referring to the one loaf of bread they had brought. So He asked them a series of perceptive questions to help them see. In these series of questions we find God’s answer to our own spiritual insensitivity.

Firstly, we need to use our mind to “…see and understand.” We need to come to the Word of God with an open mind and reflect on the truth. Secondly, we need to engage our heart. “Are your hearts hardened?” Not only do we need to reflect with our mind, we have to believe with our heart. Truth should bring us to the next level, a believing heart. Not responding to the truth would harden our heart. Thirdly, we need to be perceptive by learning to see beyond the physical, hearing beyond just the word, and making sense of what God is truly saying to us. Fourthly, we need to recall what the Lord had done. Here the Lord told them to recall what had happened at the two incidents where the bread and fish were multiplied. They were told to recall how with Him a little fed the multitude and still have much left over. We too need to recall all the things that He had brought us through to where we are today, and to remain joyful and vibrant in our faith. Simply put, to overcome spiritual dullness and insensitivity, let’s engage our mind, meditate with our heart, perceive with our spirit and frequently recall the blessings we have received from God, and give thanks and live gratefully! 

Mark 8:1-10 – A lesson re-enforced

This account continues from the healing of the deaf and dumb man whom Jesus had healed in the previous chapter. Verse 36 of Chapter 7 tells us that despite Jesus’ instruction not to publicize the healing, they did it all the more. So the great crowd of people who learned of the healings of that deaf and dumb man gathered to listen to the Lord. They remained with Jesus for three days to listen to Him.

There are those who claimed that this account is the same as the feeding of the five thousand recorded in Mark 6:33-44 but put in a different way. A closer look will help us see that the circumstances that had the crowd coming was different. Furthermore, both Matthew and Mark took care to make sure that we, the readers, understand that they were two separate incidents. The number of people that partook of the bread was also different. Although the food used to feed the crowd were also bread and fish, the loaves were seven and not five and the number of fish was not two but described as a few. So this is definitely a different occasion when the multitude was fed.

Notice also in this account it was Jesus who initiated the idea to feed the people. It arose from His compassion for the people who had gone without food for three days. He was also concerned that they might faint on the way home. Apparently, the disciples did not learn from the feeding of the 5,000. It did not occur to them that the last time the bread that were produced to feed the multitude was also in a desolate desert place. At least this time they had two loaves of bread more and a few more fish. So the people were made to sit down as the Lord took the bread and boke it and gave thanks. Then He gave them to His disciples to distribute to the people. The Lord also did the same for the few fish and had them served as well. Like the last time, they all had their fill. Despite feeding 4,000 people whom He sent away satisfied, the remnant of the leftover that was picked up were seven baskets full.  Jesus immediately left in a boat with His disciples and went to Dalmanutha.

The question we ask is: what further lessons can we learn from another account about people who were fed with supernaturally multiplied bread? For one, we know that the same lesson about Jesus being the bread of life, had to be made known not only to the Jews but also to the Gentiles as well. Jesus wants all to know that He is the bread of life. Secondly, we know that for a miracle to happen there must be a collaboration between us and our Lord. Like the disciples, we need to begin with what we have. The Lord asked them how many loaves they had. In other words we have to begin with whatever we have. We begin by practically doing what we can do. Then the Lord will undertake to undergird it with His power and supply. We don’t wait for a perfect condition when we have the perfect gift to serve. We just begin with whatever we have and we begin now. Thirdly, whatever we have is never too little for the Lord to begin with. He is the all sufficient One. And He is more than enough for us. That’s the reason the 4,000 went away satisfied. This second incident also tells us that the Lord will teach us again and again till the lesson is caught and understood. If we wonder why we are traveling the same familiar route in our spiritual journey, it’s because we still haven’t learned the lesson He wants us to learn. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Mark 7:31-37 - A model for effective ministry

In verse 31, we are told where Jesus and His disciples were at. Prior to this, He had brought deliverance to the Syrophoenician woman’s daughter, and now had left Tyre with His disciples. They traveled through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee and were now within the region of the Decapolis. Here he came face to face with a deaf man who also had speech impediment, brought to him by the people. Perhaps of all physical handicaps of humanity, what this man was suffering would rank among the worst. It had rendered him incapable of hearing sound or speaking words audibly. He must have endured a terrible social stigma which would affect his self-esteem. That was probably the reason why the Lord took him away from the full view of the public to deal with his condition.

In His dealings with the sick and needy, Jesus had employed different ways of bringing healing. He had laid hands, He had spoken or commanded healing and He even rebuked the devil. But why did He do what He did with this deaf and dumb? It’s fascinating to notice the things Jesus did to bring about this healing. He did not lay hand on the deaf man as urged by the people. We are told, “Jesus took him aside from the crowd, by himself, and put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting, He touched his tongue with the saliva;  and looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!”

In taking him aside Jesus was avoiding further embarrassment to him. And when He put His fingers into His ears, He was using sign language to indicate to the deaf man that He was going to heal him. And by spitting, possibly on the tip of His finger, and wetting the man’s tongue, He was showing him visually that he would soon be using his tongue to articulate. By looking upward, He was telling him that the source of his healing was from the God of heaven and that it’s from Him that the power would flow to touch him. His deep sigh was to tell that man that He understood his plight that had overtaken him and that He cared all about him. The word, “Ephphatha” meaning “Be opened” would be the most appropriate word for one who had a closed ear.

Here the Lord had shown us what would be needed for ministry to be effective. If we are to be effective, we need to learn to look up to our Father in heaven. He is the source of all healings. His sigh tells us that we need to approach people with compassion as we try to understand their deep hurt. By engaging with a touch to provide the point of contact, would indicate that God could be touched by our frailties. As we minister be sure to stay connected to the source of our power; be compassionate and feel the pain of those we are ministering to; and be engaging and present to the person’s need.  

Mark 7:24-30 – Barrier breaking faith

Having clashed with the Pharisees concerning defilement, Jesus left Jerusalem and retreated to the region of Tyre for a much needed rest. As far as the thinking of the scribes and Pharisees were concerned, this Gentile region was ritualistically unclean. The Lord went there quietly, not wanting anyone to know about it. Even then, He could not escape being noticed. And here in this “unclean” place, we read that Jesus met a Syrophoenician woman. Matthew 15:22 referred to her as a Canaanite woman. Being a Gentile, she was considered unclean by the religious establishment. But she had an outstanding faith, one that surpassed the Pharisees’ and even the faith of the Lord’s own disciples.

The picture we get from verses 25-26 is that she did not just casually come to the Lord. She came earnestly and was literally begging the Lord to deliver her daughter from the demon. We are told that she fell at His feet and kept asking the Lord to cast out the demon from her daughter. It gives us that sense that she did not just ask for it once but many times. Her faith in the Lord was persistent.

The Lord‘s reply to her seems unkind and cruel. He said to her, “Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” These words would have sent many going away, feeling rejected and insulted. But not this persistent lady. Undeterred by the Jewish exclusiveness of the Lord’s remark, she would not let this opportunity pass. Her reply to the Lord was, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table feed on the children’s crumbs.” She virtually caught the Lord in His own words. But unaware to her, Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of all lords, this Master of the universe, saw her great and persistent faith. So He told her to go her way, for the daughter had been delivered. She obeyed and did so. When she arrived home she found her daughter in bed and gloriously delivered of the demon.   

Truly the kingdom of God could be seized by a violent faith. Though it was not the dispensation for the Gentiles yet, this “despised” woman found a crack and boldly broke in. Her faith, her persistence, her humility and her brazen boldness set us an example to come to the Lord for our own needs. This is how we should approach the Lord. We must come to Him trustingly, persistently, humbly and boldly, seeking His answers to the need of our lives. The Lord is more willing to answer us than we ever know!     

Mark 7:14-23 - Guarding our thought

Turning from the Pharisees and scribes to the crowd, the Lord gave a radical statement and urged the people to listen carefully. This was within the earshot of the Pharisees. He wanted them to listen to it as well. He said, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him, but the things which proceed out of the man are what will defile the man [If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.] 

What exactly was the Lord doing? Here the Lord used the occasion to show the inherent nature of man. He showed that a person’s defilement is never caused by what goes into him from the exterior. A person’s defilement is caused by His fallen nature. It’s pointless to be overly concerned with the mundane issues of life if the heart is not dealt with.

The disciples were also puzzled by His statement, so when they had left the crowd and were with the Lord in the house, they asked Him about His statement. They referred to it as a riddle. Hence, they received a rebuke from the Lord before He went on to explain to them.

The concern of the Lord was not their stomach but the heart. Food clean or unclean, eaten with washed or unwashed hands, are unimportant. For whatever is eaten would go into the stomach and eventually pass out. They never go to the heart. But what’s inherent in the heart is critical. It is the wellspring of one’s actions in life. Sinful thoughts that result in the sinful acts in life originate from one’s wicked thoughts. So moral purity is never just a matter of what one does but also a matter of what one dwells upon in one’s mind. The Lord’s point is this: whether it’s sexual immoralities, thefts, murders, adulteries, acts of coveting, evil deeds, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride or foolishness, the root of each can be traced to the thought and intention of one’s heart.

Can we understand why Proverbs 4:23 exhorts us to, “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life”?  What do we think about most of the time? Our emotion and actions are the products of what our minds dwell upon all the time. Let’s be renewed in our minds so that we will come to grips with the will of God for us, that which is not only good and acceptable but also perfect.     

Mark 7:1-13 – Compliance with God’s Word

At the end of the second century A.D., the Jews compiled the Mishnah, a collection of their oral laws. They were essentially traditions put together to protect the Word of God and to help people to keep the sacred Word. Though the intention was honorable, it eventually ended up being a whole lot of irrational demands and needless absurdities. One example is this: a person would be allowed to spit on the Sabbath but he must ensure that his spittle would fall on the floor where it would not cause the formation of a little ball of dirt. For when that happened, it would constitute work. However, preventing work on the Sabbath was only one aspect of the Mishnah, its biggest concern was on “cleanness.”

The tradition about “cleanness” was derived from the Biblical command found in Exodus 30:19 where all priests were required to wash their hands.  Pious Jews took this command to the extreme. And years before Christ came to the scene, the law concerning washing had become an entrenched tradition for Jews who wanted to be “clean.” During Jesus’ days on earth, this tradition about cleanness had been so rehashed that it made a mockery of what true inner purity meant by reducing it to a mere system of external washing. So we read in Mark 7:3-4 that “...the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, thus observing the traditions of the elders; and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots.” The needless and absurd demands about washing became a reason for the Pharisees and scribes to find fault with Jesus. Of course, it also presented the perfect channel for the Lord to present the nature of real purity and its source. He actually used it to show that true purity could only be supplied by His life.

The Pharisees’ rigid observation of the law of washing made them despicably proud. When the Lord came with His disciples to Jerusalem, they were spotted eating bread without washing hand. The Pharisees immediately went on an assault. They Him by asking, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?” That drew a response from the Lord. Quoting Isaiah 29:13, Jesus told them brutally and frankly and in all honesty that they were hypocrites. In verses 6-8, He told them that the prophet had rightly referred to them as people who put on an outward show, but inwardly they did not experience reality. They were not congruent in their lives and their hearts were nowhere near God, despite all their outward swaggers.

The Lord then went on to reveal to them that they were experts at setting aside the commands of God. Although they knew that to support their parents was required by the law to show honor to their elders. Yet they would pretentiously announced that the funds they wanted to give to their parents were Corban, meaning that they had set it apart for God. That would justify why they could not give to their parents. They were basically twisting the Scriptures to justify their own non-compliance.       

This honest truth is that we can be just as vulnerable to contort God’s Word, so that we could escape from obeying it. We would try to justify it with less obscure passages to explain away the necessity to succumb to the authority of the truth that God had clearly revealed. So be careful that we don’t explain God’s Word away when He has revealed it to us. Just act in obedience and please Him.    

Mark 6:53–56 – The ministry of healing

Mark 6:45 tells us that the disciples’ destination was Bethsaida, which was up at the northern edge of the lake. But in verse 53 we are told they landed in a different town and moored their boat there. The strong wind must have driven them southward and when the Lord walked towards them and got into the boat, they immediately landed in Gennesaret. This is a town about three miles between Capernaum and Tiberias on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. This was a fairly populated area in the first century. 

What a surprise it must have been for the people in Gennesaret. Although they did not expect Jesus, they recognized Him immediately. News of His ministry in Capernaum must have gone far and wide. There was immediate excitement and buzz in the town. People who recognized Him went about the whole region bringing sick folks especially those who could not walk. They were brought on pallets to where the Lord was.

Every village, city or countryside that the Lord entered, people brought the sick and lined them in marketplaces that they might touch even the edge of His garment. Praise God that as many as touched it, were made well.  Jesus came to fulfill what Isaiah had prophesied and Matthew 8:17 quoted, "He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases." 

Praise God, we have a Lord Who not only had saved us but also can heal us, for this is the gracious promise of the Word. “But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings...(Malachi 4:2).  

Mark 6:45-52 - Jesus, the Lord over all storms

In this passage we find the disciples encountering yet another storm. This time Jesus was not with them. He only came walking towards them in the midst of their struggles with the storm. This event took place after the feeding of the 5,000. Having ate the miracle bread it was highly unlikely that the people would let Jesus out of their sight. In the same incident, John 6:14-15, tell us that the people concluded that Jesus was the Prophet (the one whom Moses said, God Himself would raise) and they were bent on taking Him to make Him king. So in verse 45, Jesus quickly got his disciples into the boat to go ahead of Him to Bethsaida, while He remained behind to dismiss the multitude. When the disciples had left, He then went up to the mountain to pray.

When evening came, the boat was already in the middle of the lake. This was about six to seven o’clock in the evening. Mark tells us that Jesus was alone on the land. Remember He had sent the disciples off and He was now up in the mountain praying. Verse 48 tells us that He saw them struggling at the oars as they encountered a counter wind. Here is a hint that even as Jesus was praying His eyes were on them. Isn’t it comforting to know that the Lord will never take His eyes off us as He intercedes for us! It was as early as six or seven o’clock in the evening they were already experiencing some difficulties with the wind. But it was not until the fourth watch that the Lord came walking to them. What time is the fourth watch? This is about three to six o’clock in the early morning. It was the darkest time of the night. It was at this point that the disciples were struggling with the fiercest howling wind and straining hard at the oars, and their strength could not have hold any longer. It was precisely at the hour when they needed Him most that the Lord came walking toward them on the water. It’s good to know that even in our long lonely hours of struggles that He will always be on time.  

At first the Lord appeared as if He was about to pass by them, and they supposed He was a ghost and they cried out. This whole episode was intended for the disciples to recall and understand the significance of it for years to come. It is also in the scriptures for us to know that the waves that were created by the storm in our life would be the very path that He would tread upon to reach us. Look at it this way, the storms of life do come every now and then into our lives, and they would threaten to take us under. This episode tells us that however fierce the storms may be, they are all under our Lord’s feet.

It will help us to know that the fourth watch was the Lord’s way of telling us that no matter how dark the storm that covers our plight, the Lord can see through them. And His walking toward the disciples indicates that He would also come into the struggles we encounter in life. And He always wants us to know and experience His presence at that right moment, as He whispers His timely words, “Take courage it is I, do not be afraid.”

How did the story end? Mark said that when Jesus got into the boat with them the wind stopped and they were astonished. Verse 52 indicates to us why the storm was necessary. It’s because they failed to recognize from the incident of the loaves that Jesus is the Son of God. How do we know? Matthew 14:33 supplies us with the concluding piece of the puzzle. It says, "And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, "You are certainly God's Son!" Remember that storms are the very means that will help us recognize the nearness of Christ and also to recognize Him for Who He really is. 

Mark 6:33-44 – Divine economy

The ministry of the Lord and His disciples were so successful that a large crowd would follow them. It was difficult for the Lord and His disciples to pull away from the crowd and not be noticed. That was precisely what happened in these verses. Although Jesus had told His disciples that they should go to a solitary place for a time of retreat, the people got wind of it. As they were in the boat and pulling out to their destination, they were spotted by many who knew them. So the horde of people, joined by others from the town, outran the boat and went to the place where they were going, long before the Lord and His entourage arrived. When the Lord arrived at His destination and saw the great mass of people, He was moved with compassion. He saw them as sheep without a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things.

The people were listening to His teachings. Though we are not told what He taught, it must have been so interesting that no one barged. And before they realized it, the sun had set and it was getting late. Remember, the disciples had had a long day and they were hoping for some rest. So they came to the Lord, telling Him, “This place is desolate and it is already quite late; send them away so that they may go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”  But the Lord did a deliberate thing. He told them to get something for them to eat. His disciples immediately retorted implying that it was well-nigh impossible to do what the Lord had told them to do. Even we can immediately think of some reasons: Where to find the bakery in this deserted place? Even if there is one, where do we find the fund, two hundred denarii in all, to buy the bread?

The Lord’s immediate response was, ‘how many loaves do we have?’ Go and look for it! And they found five loaves and two fish. In John 6:9 we are told that these were the food of a young lad. To the Lord, it was sufficient for a miracle. The Lord then commanded that they should gather in groups and sit around the green grass. So they gathered in groups of hundreds and fifties. The Lord took both the loaves and the fish, with eyes lifted toward heaven, He blessed them. Then He broke the bread and divided up the two fish among them all. Mark did not tell us exactly what had happened. With a bit of sanctified imagination, we can see the Lord passing whatever he had blessed, and broke and gave it to the disciples to distribute to the crowd. The remarkable miracle was this, whatever the disciples got in their hands just multiplied itself. Every time they gave out, some more would appear in their hands. There seemed to be an endless supply. So much so that even after the 5,000 men (not inclusive of the women and children) had eaten, they picked up 12 baskets full of left overs.

Here are some lessons from this miracle:

·      In Divine economy, supplies will definitely equal the demands, if not more.

·  There is no problem too big that the Lord cannot solve. If He could solve the problem confronting a multitude, how big can our puny problem be to Him?

·    There is nothing too small that the Lord cannot use. If He could feed well over 5,000 people with just five loaves and two fish, how will He not use whatever we are offering for His service? 

· There is no person too insignificant that the Lord cannot use. If He could use an unknown lad, how will He not use us who are willing to offer ourselves to Him?

·   God would only use us as we willingly offer ourselves and our resources to Him just as the lad did. 

Mark 6:30-32 – Accounting and replenishing time

There came the time of accounting for the 12 apostles whom the Lord had sent out on the mission. For the first time Mark called them apostles. All along they were referred to as disciples. Verse 30 indicates that they returned from their tour of duty and met with the Lord, and reported to Him all that they had done and taught.  In other words they came to give account to Him for their mission. It was stork-taking time. Like them, there will also come a time when we will have to account to the Lord for the gifts and resources He had placed in our hand.

The apostles were then instructed to find a secluded place for retreat. The Lord knew that they themselves could do with some rest. Needs of the people could never cease. People will always need ministry. Verse 31 affirms this fact. Many people were still coming and going and they didn’t even have time to eat. An exhausted and jaded minister would lose his cutting edge and effectiveness. The Lord knew that they needed to get away for a time of personal refreshment. So He instructed them to find a place for retreat so that their body could be rested and their soul could be replenished and calibrated.  What better way to do it, then to go away to somewhere quiet and have a time of solitude and be present with the Lord.

The Lord instructed that they should go to a secluded place. It was to be a place free from the hustle bustle of activities. Busyness is the outward activities that keep us going. As important as work could be, we need to know the reason why we are busy. We need to be careful not to allow work and busyness to deceive us and give us a false sense of our self-importance. And we also need to be sure that that we don’t lead a hurried life. It is a devastating force that kills the spiritual life. It keeps a person pre-occupied till he or she cannot find time to be simply present with God. All of us need to find time to be present with the Lord and listen to Him unhurriedly.

Secondly, they must rest. This is so needful for everyone to prevent a burnout. Rest afford us the time to rejuvenate our tired body and also to re-calibrate our souls. It give the opportunity to rest in the Master.

And thirdly, the instruction from the Lord was to get away from the crowd to attend to basic necessity, like a proper meal. People will always have needs and they can be demanding. As indicated in verse 31, there were many people coming and they didn’t even have time to eat.  Yet, their own personal need must be taken care of. What about finding time to partake spiritual food? We can never be effective when we are depleted of our spiritual supplies. As instructed by the Lord, let’s schedule times daily to replenish our soul. We need to have a constant replenishing strategy in life to remain effective for the Lord.    

Mark 6:17-29 – A dead conscience

John the Baptist was born to a barren woman who was well passed her child bearing age. His parents, Zacharias and Elizabeth, were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in the commandments and requirements of the Lord. Zacharias, though a pious man, could not believe the angel who came to bear the news of John’s impending conception and birth. Hence he was struck dumb. However, we know that John was destined for greatness. He came to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord. In Mark 1:14 we learned that his ministry was stopped when he was taken into custody. We were not told then what happened to him.  From 6:17-29, we see his arrest, imprisonment and martyrdom.

John was a no-nonsense preacher of holiness. He blatantly told Herod (Antipas 1) that it was unlawful for him to marry Herodias, the wife of his half-brother, Philip. In a sense this Herodias was his sister-in-law. So blatantly honest was he with this couple that he incurred their wrath. Herod had him imprisoned on account of Herodias. While Herodias harbored a grudge against him and had the intention to put him to death. However, aware that he was a righteous and holy man, Herod was afraid of him, so he did what he could to preserve him. To Herod, John’s preaching were both amazing and perplexing, so he enjoyed listening to him.

However, an opportune time came and Herodias felt that the day was strategic so she schemed to get rid of John. It was on Herod’s birthday and he had invited all the high ranking officials, military commanders and leading men of Galilee for a banquet. During the banquet, Salome, Herodias daughter, likely to be at the behest of her mother, gave a dance performance to the probably all half-drunk audience. Herod was so pleased with her performance that he offered her an extra-ordinary reward. She was offered anything, even up to half of Herod’s kingdom. Salome quickly stopped everything, consulted Herodias, her mother, who asked her to request for the head of John the Baptist. So Salome asked Herod for the Baptist’s head on a platter.

Herod gave the promise before all his leading men and he was not ready to lay down his pride and rescind from his foolish offer. So he sent the executioner to have John beheaded and so his head was placed on a platter and given to Salome who gave it to her mother. When the disciples of John got the news, they came and took the headless body of John and buried it in a tomb.

In verse 26, we are told that Herod felt sorry when Salome requested for John’s head. At that point he could still rescind and make amend for the silly thoughtless offer to Salome. But pride would not let him. He did not listen to his conscience.

For us Christians, our conscience can become increasingly desensitized when we refuse to heed the prompting of the Holy Spirit.  With every quenching of the Spirit, a person would make himself less and less sensitive to the Spirit’s promptings. With time the conscience may become dead and totally insensitive to the voice of truth and conscience. Let’s maintain a yielded spirit and a pliable heart before God daily!    

Mark 6:14-16 - A troubled conscience

We all know that John the Baptist came to prepare the way for the Lord Jesus and that was his ministry. Mark 1:14, briefly tells us that his ministry halted and he was taken into custody. From Mark 6:14 onward we get details of what took place that led to his arrest, imprisonment and martyrdom. Verses 14-16 were Mark’s launching material to lead us to the account of his execution.

These verses also imply that the ministry of the Twelve was very effective. We can surmise that they went everywhere and carried out the instruction of the Lord far and wide. They proclaimed the message of repentance, healed the sick and cast out demons. What they did made impact. Everywhere people were talking about Jesus whom they proclaimed and demonstrated the works that Jesus Himself did. The Lord’s ministry had literally expanded through the Twelve. And it did not go unnoticed by the authority.

Soon people were speculating about who Jesus was and where His power came from. Some said that He was a prophet, like some of the prophets from the Old Testament era. Others said he must be Elijah for there were some great miracles from his ministry. Of course, Herod had his own opinion. He said, “John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and that is why these miraculous powers are at work in Him.” And he kept saying, “John, whom I beheaded, has risen!” It’s amazing that he could come to that conclusion. Herod was believed to be a Sadducee, a sect that did not believe that there would be a resurrection. Why? It must be that Herod was scared out of his wits, and his conscience was bothering him.

This account underscores the necessity to keep a clear conscience. Herod must have realized that what He did to John was unjustified and it bothered him. So he associated Jesus with John. God had made all of us with a conscience as our moral compass. How we educate our conscience is important. If we keep ignoring what God is telling us to avoid or to do, we can develop a dull conscience. Let’s educate our conscience by listening and responding to God’s call or heeding His warning! Let’s continually set our moral compass right and have an educated conscience.

Mark 6:7-13 - Standard operating procedure for ministers

In Mark 3:14 the Lord appointed the 12 apostles to be with Him so that He could send them out. And they had been with Him, they walked, slept, ate and traveled with Him. They had seen and experienced the wonders of His ministry – teaching the multitude, healing the sick, delivering the demonized and reviving the dead. The time had now arrived for the Lord to send them out to do what He had done. Verse 7 tells us that they were sent out two by two. Each one was endowed with wisdom and the Master’s authority, especially to cast out demons. This arrangement met the basic requirement set in Deuteronomy 19:15, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall a matter be confirmed.  Furthermore, each one could provide support for his partner as a pair.

Verses 8-11 detail three specific instructions from the Lord to the teams as they set out for their ministries. Firstly, He dealt with their basic provision. They were instructed to “…take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belt— but to wear sandals;” and He added, “Do not put on two tunics.” This was to help them to exercise faith in God  and not on what they had. He probably wanted to inculcate maximum faith in Him and not to overly rely on their own limited provision.  

Secondly, He instructed them regarding their comfort. In their day, they had to depend on the hospitality of their host. The Lord did not want them to change their lodging just for self-comfort. They were told to stay with one host until they leave town.  

And thirdly, they were told about the attitude they should adopt:  ^“Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them.” This act was a call to dissociate with the pollution of the pagan and the judgement that would come upon them. This was designed to cause the people to reflect on their spiritual condition and to consider the grace that had been offered. And the Twelve went out and “…preached that men should repent. And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.”

In seven verses, we are called to go forth and reach a turbulent world. We do it depending on the Lord; we do it traveling light; and we do what we can and trust Christ to do what we cannot. Let’s go forth and accomplish the greater works that He had promised

Mark 6:1-6 – Ingratitude limits spiritual growth

It’s humiliating to read in Mark 3:21 that the Lord’s own earthly family thought that He was out of His mind. It must have been devastating to think that His own earthly brothers and the very people from His same town whom he had loved, would not accept Him. Since then, He had also gone on and done some mighty things – teaching, delivering, healing, and even raising the daughter of Jairus. In this passage we see the Lord making another attempt on his part to reach out to them again. One would have thought news of what had taken place in His ministry would have made His people and family in Nazareth more receptive to His claims and ministry.

He now brought His disciples to His hometown. When the Sabbath came He went to the synagogue to teach. And as expected, His teachings amazed the people. Two things in particular had amazed them: His wisdom and His miracles. Here was an untrained teacher, who spoke with great authority lucidly. It was more than anything that they had heard. But their unbelieving hearts led them to make some disparaging remarks. “Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sister here with us?" And they took offense at Him.    

Here was a clear reflection of what they thought of the Lord. He looked so ordinary. They remembered Him as the carpenter and just a common Galilean laborer. And the more they talked the more contemptuous they became. In calling Him Mary’s son, they were giving a below-the-belt blow. In their culture, a son was never identified by his mother but always by his father, even if the father was dead. The remark they made about Him being Mary’s son was insinuating that His mother was a prostitute and He was an illegitimate child. To think that these were the very people He grew up with. It must have cut Him deeply. And our Lord came to terms that in His own hometown, people found it hard to accept Him. Their unbelief had stifled their own progress and His ministry among them. The things Christ could have done were frozen by their unbelief. Matthew 13:58 provides us with this perspective: And he did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief. The Lord had been amazed by faith many a times, but in His own hometown, it was doubt and unbelief that had amazed Him.

We all know the quip that says: familiarity breeds contempt. Here was a clear cut demonstration of that. The situation in His home town must have saddened the Lord, and who would not? Here’s a caution! Just as familiarity in the natural can breed contempt, the same can happen in the spiritual realm. We may take the generosity of God’s grace for granted and become insensitive to His dealings. Here’s a reminder to ensure that we don’t trivialize or minimize the gracious work of God in our lives. Let’s respond to Him with hearts of thanksgiving and cultivate a life of belief and thanks-living.       

Mark 5:35-43 – A call to radical belief

As Jesus was still speaking, people from Jairus’ home came with the news to him not to bother the teacher any more. “Your daughter has died,” they said to him. Just imagine the shock, and instantly the slowly growing flame of faith must have been smothered. But before the news could devastate what little faith that was left in Jairus, the Lord encouragingly said to him, “Don’t’ be afraid, just believe.”  

What’s happening here? The ruler from the synagogue came believing that Jesus could heal his daughter. His hope was enhanced when he saw how Jesus caringly healed the lady with hemorrhage for 12 years. But here was a different level of faith required. Here was the Lord asking him to trust Him not just for a healing but a resurrection. This is a call to an extremely drastic belief. For this ruler from the synagogue, the call to trust Christ for healing of the life threatening condition of her daughter took great faith. But to believe Him to cause life to flow into her cold, clammy and lifeless body and command life to return, was quite another level.

Mark did not tell us how Jairus responded, but we can anticipate that he would have picked up pace and hurried home. The Lord had already set the expectation. The stage for a great miracle was set in motion, and what’s left was to call life back to the darling girl of Jairus. 

On reaching his home, there was already a great commotion. There were wailing and crying, professional mourners were already in action making the whole scene a sheer misery. When the Lord saw the hullabaloo created, in a rebuke, He asked them “Why make a commotion and weep?” Following up with a remark, He exclaimed, “This child has not died but is asleep!” This triggered a mocking laugh from the professional mourners.

The Lord was about to show that He is the Lord whom even death had to bow to. He ordered everyone out. Then He took Jairus, his wife and his companions, most likely to be Peter, James and John, into the room where the girl was lying - still and lifeless. Taking the lifeless hand of that girl, Jesus said gently to her in Aramaic, “Talitha kum.”  Translated these two words mean “Little girl (or lamb), I say to you, get up!”  

Try and put a little imagination to the scene. As the words of the Lord fell over the lifeless body and reached the ear, her eyes began to slowly but surely open wide. The first thing that she beheld was the Lord’s face, then the faces of her parents, then the faces of the three disciples.  Just imagine the rapturous joy and tears all rolling out of each face. This must be the feeling that each of us will experience when Christ comes again. It’s a foretaste of what would happen on the day when the trumpet call of God shall sound. Hallelujah!  

Meanwhile what does this account tell us about our Lord? He has the power! Through the stilling of the sea, the deliverance of the demoniac of Gerasene, the healing of the despised lady with a 12-year bleeding, and now the raising of a dead lifeless girl, He is calling us to have faith in Him no matter what we are encountering. So whatever station of life we may be in, let’s reach out to Him. Regardless of what we are experiencing, just reach out and touch Him. He understands and He cares. And He is able!       

Mark 5:25 -34 – An object lesson on faith

As Jesus was on the journey to Jairus’ home, the account was interrupted by another needy person. This was an unknown lady with a hemorrhage for 12 years. Despite consulting many doctors and suffering at their hands, and finally depleted of all her savings, she was none the better. What’s nasty about her experience was that her condition worsened despite all that she could and had done.  

So when she heard about Jesus, it won't be a surprise that she would come behind Him in the crowd and touched His cloak. She reckoned that if she could only touch one of the four tassels of Jesus’ mantle, she would be healed. What an attitude of faith! So her faith moved her into action and what she anticipated happened. She could literally feel the bleeding stopped the moment her hand laid hold of the tassel. And finally she was free from her affliction. The same power that delivered the demoniac of Gerasene, and stopped the storm that confronted the disciples on the Sea of Galilee, was unleashed and healed her illness of 12 long years.

Jesus could perceive that the healing virtue went out of Him, stopped, turned to the crowd and asked, “Who touched my garments?” His disciples unperceptively remonstrated with Him. They must have felt that the Lord was being illogical. With the multitude that surrounded Him, it was easy for someone to touch Him either accidentally or deliberately. So what difference does it make, or so they thought! No one knew but Jesus that whoever had touched His garment didn’t just touch it without a reason. It was done with faith and a deliberate objective in mind.

Imagine that woman with her heartbeats racing, probably in ecstasy, both in joy and awesome fear, stood trembling before the Lord of the universe. Her eyes beaming with tears in her great rapturous joy and emotion, acknowledging to the Lord of lords. But wait, there must be another reason for this healing. Remember that the Lord was on the way to Jairus’ house, whose daughter was still lying in bed and death was beckoning. Precious minutes were lost. Jairus’ could be reasoning to himself, “Why must she stop the Lord at this time?” He could well be murmuring under his breath, “Common Jesus, common!” Little did he know that this healing was not just for the sake of the lady, but also for him, for the crowd and for us today!

Jesus turned around and saw that lady standing before Him, in simple innocent faith. She had no idea that Jesus would know all that she had done. Jesus acknowledged her simple faith and instructed her to go in peace and be totally healed of her affliction.  

Bear in mind that all this happened in the earshot of Jairus. Could it be that he, for a while, had forgotten about her daughter at home and began to elevate Christ? His own fledgling faith must have been enhanced by what he saw and processed. We can bet that his hope for his daughter’s healing must have swelled though he was not aware of the shocking news that would soon reach him.

What is it in this story for us but that Christ knows every need we have, both small and big! Like His response to Jairus, He would respond to our desperate cry. Should the answer seem delayed in coming, do not waver, just continue to trust. Learn to see everything from the perspective of faith, for without it, it’s impossible to please God.