Mark 3:22-27 - Setting captives free

While the Lord’s earthly family members thought that He had lost His senses, the scribes who were sent from Jerusalem to assess Him concluded that He was a demoniac. They obviously came with a preconceived conclusion. They did not even had any conversation with the Lord.

There were two things they said about Him. Firstly, they said, “He is possessed by Beelzebub,” implying that He was controlled by a powerful ruler of demons. The second accusation was that “He casts out demons by the rulers of demons.” They could not deny the fact that the Lord had some authentic deliverance in His ministry. In the parallel passage in Matthew 12:22-24, Jesus had just delivered a man of a blind and dumb spirit. They would not attribute that deliverance to God and they also could not deny that it was a bona fide deliverance. So they made Jesus out to be a tool of Satan. They concluded that He was merely a demonized exorcist.   

In verses 23-27 we see the Lord’s response to their allegations. So He called them to Himself and spoke to them in parables. He began by asking them “How can Satan cast out Satan?” This was like telling them how illogical their presumption was. Then He proceeded to give them two logical hypothetical illustrations to debunk their allegations. Firstly, He said that a kingdom that is divided cannot stand. Secondly, He said that a house that is divided also cannot stand.  Then He concluded for them, that if Satan had risen against himself and was divided, He could not stand but his end had come.   

The Lord proceeded to say that a robber had to first enter a house, bind up the strong man of the house before he could plunder it and take away the loot. Satan is that “strong man.” Satan’s kingdom on earth is his house. The helpless victims who are held in bondage by his demons are his possessions. The one stronger than Satan is the Lord Jesus Himself. He is the only one who can free the victims and this is exactly what Jesus had done and is still doing it today. He is the One who had entered Satan’s domain, had him bound and set the captives free. What He said left the accusers absolutely awestruck and astounded.

One impression we have from this account is this: while Satan is a defeated foe, we cannot under-estimate his power. He is still the roaring lion prowling around seeking to devour. It behooves us as God’s people to be wary of his schemes. We need to arm ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, He is the armour of God to us and will help us to stand firm in the day of demonic onslaught. Meanwhile cheer up and don’t despair, for we are on the victory side!

Mark 3:20-21 – Radical service

In these two verses we find Jesus returning home again, and very likely to Capernaum. As usual the crowd gathered for ministry and it was exponential. Hence the demand on Jesus and His disciples was so much that they could not even have a decent meal. So the Lord’s family members came to get Him, concluding that He must be crazy to be so fanatically engaged in ministry at such a neck breaking pace.

Mark made it quite clear that His family felt that it was time for them to take charge of what was happening to the Lord’s ministry. His brothers came down to Capernaum with the intention to haul Him back by force to Nazareth. Their words about the Lord were, “He has lost His senses.”  

What could well be the reasons for their intention? For one, it’s because they loved Him. Secondly, they were afraid that His health would be ruined if He went on at that pace. Thirdly, it was what they thought of His is His religious zeal. It was most probably too radical for their liking. In their estimate He had overdone it. From John 7:5, we know that His earthly brothers did not quite believe in His mission at that point.

Why was the Lord so engrossed in what He was doing? He went about His ministry with urgency. Mark 10:45 tells us that even the Son of Man came not to be ministered to but to minister and to give His life as a ransom for many. His desire was for none to perish but all to have everlasting life. Like Him, let’s serve with a sense of urgency – radically! 

Mark 3:13 –19 – Dealing with the demands of life

From the ministry schedule of our Lord, everyone can tell that He had a full load every day. How did He manage the demands of the ministry?  From these verses we shall see the Lord’s strategy when the demands increased. Mark tells us that the first thing He did was to withdraw to the mountain side to be alone. The point is this: our Lord got away to be by Himself. In the midst of ministry and the mounting work, He just went away from the crowd to be alone. Perhaps to reflect, to re-calibrate and to be re-energized. 

What did the Lord do when He went away for His retreat?  In Luke 6:12, the parallel account to this one, we are told that he spent a whole night praying. What else did He do when the pressure mount? He called to Himself people whom He could share the ministry load with. Verses 14-19 tell us the names of the 12 people He called and designated as apostles.

The purpose of calling the 12 was so that they could be with Him, to be sent out to preach and to have authority over the demons. Notice the process is first to be with Him. People who want to serve Christ must know Him first and foremost. This is about experiencing Him in life and not knowing Him just in the mind. This is the “with Him” principle that we all need. Divine enablement comes by being with Him. Let’s never run ahead in our priority when it comes to serving God and ministering on His behalf. He wants us to be with Him first and to know Him, before we go out and work for Him. Out of the 12 apostles, eleven dynamically served Him and some of them died gallantly.

In these few verses we learn some very precious lessons from the Lord when demands of life increased. He called time out to be alone. Not just to squander the time away doing nothing, He spent the time praying. Then He surrounded Himself with people whom He could impart His life and share the load.  

When overwhelmed by the demands of life, take a cue from the Lord. We need time alone, and also time with the Lord. We need to spend those moments in prayer. When we get into this spiritual habit we align our will with God’s. When in alignment with God’s will, there’s no telling as to what can happen to us, whether it be in our character, vision, inspiration and resourcefulness. In contact with God in prayer, we will definitely be spiritually charged. Healthy body, clear mind, strengthened spirit, pure moral and supernatural enablement are all released in prayer.  Let us find time to be alone, to pray and to be with Jesus so that we will find the strength to speak for Jesus!

Mark 3:7-12 – The Lord’s popularity

In these verses we can sense the mounting pressure the Lord was experiencing. So He and His disciples withdrew to the Sea of Galilee. People from all over just tracked Him. Verse 7 said a great multitude from Galilee followed to where He was, and so were multitudes of people from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea and also people from areas beyond the Jordan such as Tyre and Sidon.

The Lord’s popularity went out far and wide. When all these multitudes heard about His great works, they all came to experience for themselves. Knowing that they might pressed in to Him, the Lord told His disciples to station a getaway boat nearby in case the crowd get unmanageable. The Lord had healed many and so people with all kinds of sicknesses and conditions were pressing in to try to touch Him. Unclean spirits would recognize Who He was and would fall down before Him, shouting, ‘Your are the Son of God!’ The Lord didn’t need their publicity, so He sternly warned them not to reveal His identity.   

Despite His popularity, the Lord new His mission. Mark tells us later that He did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. But what’s tragic about this account is this: the demons could recognize Jesus as the Son of God, but the multitudes could not. They could only see Him as a miracle-worker and as someone whom they could approach to have their needs met. The question each of us should ask ourselves constantly is this: What’s our reason in coming to the Lord?

Whatever we do let’s get our reason right for knowing the Lord. Let’s make seeking Him and His Kingdom our reason in coming to Him. For if we seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, all the real needs in our life will be met in Him.    

Mark 3:1-6 – Healing on a Sabbath

This passage is the final of the five controversies Jesus had with the religious leaders. Like the fourth, the issue is again about the Sabbath. This time it is about Jesus’ healing on the Sabbath. It looks like in this incident Jesus knew their intention and was ready for a showdown, so He goaded them into it.

It all happened in the synagogue again. Jesus was there to teach. Present there that day was a man with a withered hand. Jesus’ critics watched Him like a hawk to see if He would do something for the man. It was not because they cared for this man caught in his plight, but they were searching for the prospect of nailing Jesus. They must have thought their moment had arrived when Jesus ordered the man to get up and come forward. They didn’t know that our Lord was poised for a showdown. Knowing that they anticipated a healing so as to accuse Him, Jesus threw them a two-part question. “Is it lawful to do good or do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?”

The answer seemed obvious. But His opponents could not answer Him one way or the other. The hunter now became the hunted. Instead of catching Jesus they were caught by the Lord’s ingenious question. To answer either way would be a no win situation for them. To say “do good or to save” would make them Sabbath breakers themselves and free Jesus to do what they knew He wanted to do. And the answer “do harm or to kill” would make them look bad, conscienceless and uncaring. So they kept silent.  

Jesus looked at their stubborn and hardened hearts, was angry and greatly distressed. Ignoring them, He turned to the waiting man and commanded him to stretch out His withered hand. And immediately his hand was restored as he stretched it out. Notice Jesus did not touch that man, He merely told him to stretch out His withered hand. At that command healing took place. They could not explicitly accuse Him of breaking the Sabbath.

Mark made it clear in verse 6 that this last of the five controversies would be the climax. Both the Pharisees and Herodians (followers and admirers Herod) who were common enemies became allies through a common cause: to terminate Jesus.

Perhaps Mark had cleverly shown the two responses to Jesus’ question. While the Lord did good on a Sabbath to grant healing to that man with the withered hand, the opponents went out and started a harmful process - they went out and conspired to terminate Him.  

In the last two controversies, the religious leaders were obviously more concerned for outward sign of being religious. They mistakenly equate a mindless observation of rules and regulations to a vibrant, connected relationship with the Heavenly Father.  From this, we learn that our life in Christ must not be just dry, cold religiosity seeking to follow a set of do’s and don’ts.  We must make sure that ours is a life of devotion and fellowship with the loving Lord!   

Mark 2:23-28 – Keeping the Sabbath

In these verses Mark introduced the fourth of the five controversies Jesus encountered with the religious leaders. This time around, it had to do with the Law. It’s about keeping the Sabbath.

We read in verse 23 that Jesus and His disciples were going through the grain-fields when some of His disciples picked some ears of grains to eat. The Pharisees who saw what they did, asked the Lord Jesus, “Look, why are they doing what’s unlawful on the Sabbath.” The accusation they brought against the disciples was not that they stole grains from someone else’s field. The law concerning gleaning allowed them to do that. The issue was about doing work on Sabbath. The Pharisees saw the actions of the disciples and interpreted it as engaging in work on a Sabbath. To them the disciples had violated the Sabbath. 

The Lord then used an Old Testament account recorded in 1 Samuel 21:1-6 in response to the accusation. He asked a question in relation to that story, when David was running away from King Saul, who wanted to take his life. In that story, David came to Nob where Abimelech, the high priest, took the consecrated bread from the table of showbread in the Tabernacle and gave it to David and his men to eat. Those bread were meant only for the priests to eat.

Like what the disciples did, that incident also took place on a Sabbath. The implication for Jesus’ question is this: human need is more important than ritualistic requirement. Jesus’ intention was for His critics to look at David’s practice and evaluate their complaint against the actions of His disciples. To the Lord, human needs precede religious regulations. In His response, Jesus was not defending the breaking of the Sabbath. Jesus wanted them to see the more important and pressing issue at hand, i.e. the human need.

The problem in this passage, however, is in the mix up of the name of the high priest. In the Old Testament account, the high priest was Abimelech and not Abiathar as given by Mark. There are several propositions to explain this but none is conclusive. Since Abimelech was the son of Abiathar, he could have been referred to as Abimelech Abiathar or merely as Abiathar.    

In verse 27 and 28, we have the principle that will settle the question about keeping the Sabbath. “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath, so the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” God gave the Sabbath at the dawn of creation and He renewed it at Mount Sinai by instituting it. God gave this to all mankind and not only for the Jews. His purpose was that man may rest and worship Him and not made it into an issue and a burden. The institution of the Sabbath was never meant to be a burden but the Pharisees had made it into a burden.

As the Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus asserts His right to free the blessed Sabbath from the incorrect and irrational ideas that the Pharisees had attached to it. The Lord wants to restore the Sabbath to its original intention and purpose. He first gave it to man in paradise and instituted it at Mount Sinai. And He refused to let His intention for the Sabbath be mutilated by the Pharisees’ bigoted traditional ideas. The Sabbath is to be a day of blessing, a day of rest and a day to engage in worship. Let’s make it so!

Mark 2:18-22 – Fussing about fasting

In verses 18-22, Mark comes to the third of the five controversies. This time it was about the tradition of fasting. This was a Jewish tradition extrapolated from the Law of Moses that required fasting only on the Day of Atonement. By the time of the New Testament, many pious Jew would fast twice a week as a tradition more than its intended purpose. The Pharisees in particular exercised this religiously with scant regard for its purpose. For them, it became a hypocritical show than a genuine exercise to seek God. And people came to think of fasting as mandatory.   

So here in verse 18 we see the disciples of John the Baptist and the Pharisees fasting, but the disciples of Jesus were not. Some people were puzzled so they came to Jesus, asking Him why His disciples were not fasting.  In His answer to the inquirers, Jesus used the analogy of a wedding. Fasting is antithesis to the purpose of a wedding banquet when the bridegroom is present. Here the Lord alluded to Himself as the bridegroom. Being with Him was like attending a wedding feast and should be celebrated, hence fasting was not necessary for the moment. Then the Lord also vaguely alluded to His eventual death. On that day, when He the bridegroom would be taken away from them, that would be the right time to fast. This could be suggesting a time of mourning.

In verses 21-22 Jesus used two metaphors, new un-shrunk cloth and new wine, to refer to His presence and work. Then He used another two metaphors, old garment and old wine-skin to refer to traditions which fasting was a part of. He likens His presence as the establishment of a new movement – the Kingdom of God. It would be foolhardy to force old traditions into the new movement that His presence was establishing.

The Lord was not objecting to fasting. He was more concerned that it should be exercised with the purpose in view and at the appropriate time. When it’s time for celebration, no one should act pious and fast for show. When the right time comes, fasting should be exercised so that God’s Kingdom could advance.  We should fast but do it appropriately and with proper intention. Don’t major in trifles!

Mark 2:13-17 – Reaching the outcasts

This is the second of the five controversies that Jesus had with the scribes. The issue revolved around the Lord’s mixing with tax collectors and sinners. Levi was none other than Matthew the tax collector who wrote the Gospel named after him. In was in his account of the life of Christ that Mattthew gave us the connection between himself and Levi (Matthew 9:9-11).  Mark, on the other hand, was satisfied to just let his account of the call of Levi serves as an illustration of the Lord’s willingness to mix with the outcast and people whom the Jewish community found offensive.   

In verse 13 we are once again told that Jesus was around the lake, or more precisely the Sea of Galilee. As usual a large crowd polarized around Him so He began to teach them. As the Lord was walking along, He spotted Levi. Verse 14 tells us that he was the son of Alphaeus. He was sitting in his tax collector’s booth. Being a tax collector, Levi belonged to the class of the offensive. Tax collectors were despised by their own race because they were thought to be in collusion with the Romans. They would inflate the tax commission and defraud the commoners.

The Lord Jesus’ call to Levi to follow Him was exactly the same as He had called Andrew, Peter, James and John. And just like the four disciples, Levi also responded without hesitation. He arose from his booth and followed the Lord.  Jesus then went to Levi’s house, and together with His disciples, was dinning with him and other tax collectors and sinners. Those outcasts were attracted to the Lord’s ministry so they followed Him to hear His teachings.

Verse 16 tells us that when the scribes, or the teachers of the law who were largely Pharisees, saw the Lord eating with the outcasts, they asked a denigrating question. To them, Jesus had violated the customs expected of a Rabbi. He mixed with people who did not keep the tradition of the Law. So sneeringly they questioned His disciples, asking, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”

When Jesus heard what they said, His response to them was quick. He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” This answer has two parts. Firstly, He said, the healthy do not need a physician. Secondly, He said He had come to call sinners and not the righteous.  It’s sad to note that while the Pharisees and leaders were just as needy as the sinners but they were blind to it.

Like the Lord, we must not isolate ourselves from those who need Him regardless of their status in society. We are called to join Him in His mission of reaching the lost and needy. Let’s remember where we came from. We all became a follower of Christ not because of our goodness, status, wealth or merit. We became one because Christ looked beyond our faults and He saw our needs. 

Mark 2:1-12 – Pleasing God with Faith

All the miracles of Jesus narrated by Mark serve to indicate the authority that Jesus has. But this account of the healing of the paralytic in Mark 2:1-12 takes us even further concerning His authority, i.e. He has the authority to forgive sins. From Mark 2:1-3:6, we will see five controversies that Jesus had with the religious leaders. This account will show us the first of the five controversies. Here we see the authority of Jesus to forgive sins being challenged.

Again a large crowd gathered to listen to the Lord’s teaching when he returned to Capernaum. Mark tells us that four men carried a paralyzed friend to the meeting but could not get through the crowd to Jesus. All four of them, including the paralyzed friend, believed that the Lord has the ability to heal. Otherwise they would not had gone through all the trouble to try to get the paralytic to Jesus.

Unable to reach Jesus because of the great crowd, the four friends took the paralytic up to the roof, created an opening and lowered him in a pallet down to where Jesus was standing. And to everyone’s amazement, instead of healing him first, Jesus declared the sins of the paralyzed man forgiven. The scribes present could see that Jesus was claiming to have a unique relationship with God. They then accused Him of blasphemy because He did something that only God could do. Jesus did it this way because He wanted to use the healing to verify that He could forgive sin because He is God. He knew that in healing the paralytic, His claim to be able to forgive sin would then be taken seriously. 

From the scribes’ objection to Jesus’ pronouncement of forgiveness of sin on that paralytic, we could see that they had correctly deduced that only God could forgive sin. But they however, stubbornly refused to accept the conclusion that Jesus is God. Then in verse 10, Jesus explicitly told them the purpose in healing the paralytic was to show them that He, the Son of Man, had the authority on earth to forgive sins.

In Mark’s Gospel we also see the importance of faith as an appropriate response to the authority of Jesus. So besides showing us the extent of Jesus’ authority, this miracle also shows that faith is an important element in the program of discipleship. The four friends’ resourcefulness of ensuring that the paralytic landed before the feet of Jesus demonstrated their great faith in the Lord.

We all talk about IQ – intelligence quotient, EQ – emotion quotient, AQ – adversity quotient. What about our FQ – faith quotient? Our faith level in the Lord and His Word will determine our willingness to act and live as we ought to. Let’s remember Hebrews 11:6. It says, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is the rewarder of those who seek Him.”

Mark 1:40-45 – A touch from the Master's hand

In Mark’s Gospel there are more records of Christ’s miracles than His sermons. So in verses 40-45 we see another account of the Lord’s miracle, the healing of a leper. While in His preaching tour of Galilee, a leper came to Him. Despite being an outcast, that leper found the courage to come to the Lord. He came to Him pleading for healing as he fell on his knees before the Lord.

Ostracized by society, that leper was probably in despair and was also feeling worthless and shameful. And though he was sure that Christ could heal him, he was not sure if He would heal him. Hesitatingly, he said to the Lord saying, “If you are willing, You can make me clean.” Of course the Lord was willing, for this was in His mission agenda. Moved with compassion, we are told that the Lord stretched out His hand and touched Him saying, “I am willing, be cleansed.” Though the Law stated that touching a leper would make one unclean, yet the Lord broke that convention and touched that leper and made him clean. We are told in verse 42 that the leprosy left that man immediately and he was cleansed.

As stipulated by the Law of Moses, the Lord instructed him to go first to the priest to have his healing verified. And also sternly warned him not to talk about his healing till it was verified by the priest. The reason was obvious. For according to the Law the Lord had just become unclean because he had touched that leper. He was expected to go through ceremonial cleansing and his work would be hampered if the man indiscreetly shared how he was healed.

Unfortunately, the cleansed leper did not obey the Lord’s instruction. Verse 45 tells us that he went out and proclaimed freely and spread the news around. And because he did not follow the Lord’s instruction, it created some inconvenience for Him. The Lord could no longer have the liberty to move freely in public because in the eyes of the Law He was ceremonially unclean. So He could not go into the city but only to some unpopulated areas. But even then, people from everywhere came and sought Him out because He alone can fully meet their needs.

The Lord knew what the Law had stipulated yet He touched that man. He also knew how much that ostracized leper needed it. That’s something wonderful about a touch. It is reassuring. Through His touch He was saying, “I am willing. I understand your plight and I want to do something for you because I love you.”

One practical touch is better than one volume of theological arguments. Let’s remember that, in ministering to people, they are moved and better served by our compassionate touch than our deep theological understandings and thoughts.  

Mark 1:35-39 – Prayer is essential

Verse 35 explicitly tells us that, “In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.” He must have slept as much as He could, then He woke up, and slipped away into a solitary and remote place out of town. There He went on His knees and connected with the Father in prayer. 

We have all wondered at times and asked why Jesus, the Sovereign Lord and King, needed to pray? We all know that heaven was certainly at His behest.  So why did He need to pray? One thing to bear in mind is that although He is 100% God, He was also 100% man while on earth. Thus He had a human reason why He needed to pray. The Bible clearly says that although He was God, He did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped. But He emptied of Himself and took the form of a man. And being found in the form of a man He was obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross.

On earth, Christ did not exercise His deity but depended on God, through His Holy Spirit, for the empowerment to accomplish the mission. Thus prayer was one of the means that Jesus our Lord largely depended on. We can also see it this way: Jesus prayed to show us how important it is to connect with the Father. And He wants us to live life like He did. If prayer was needful for Him to live a godly life and to accomplish God’s purpose on earth, it must also be ours! Like the Lord we must make time in our lives for regular prayers.

So here in the desert place Jesus was engaged in dialogue with the Father. Then verses 36 and 37 tell us that He was interrupted. “Simon and his companions searched for Him; they found Him, and said to Him, ‘Everyone is looking for you.’” 

So why were they looking for Him? Having experienced great victory the night before, they wanted him to take advantage of the momentum they had gained. But our Lord was not the least bit interested. He knew exactly what His program on earth was. And after all He had just spoken to the Father. So His reply was, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.” And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons.”

These few verses tell us the priority our Lord has placed on prayer in His ministry. It would certainly not be too much for Him to sleep a couple of hours more since He was engaged in ministry, and His energy had been spent the night before. But He got up to pray. Let’s us not forget, like the Lord, the call of ministry is a call to engage in prayer. We need to pray unceasingly. We also need to have a schedule program of prayer. We must remember to put prayer in our regular schedule and then diligently carry it out!

Mark 1:32-34 – He healed the sick

When evening came, the people of Capernaum brought many sick and troubled relatives and friends to the house of Simon’s house. Just imagine the whole front of the house jam-packed with the lame, the cripple, the deaf, dumb, mute and blind, and people with diseases of all magnitude and intensity from Capernaum. Present also were those who were demon possessed. The crowd was so huge that verse 33 said that the whole city was gathered there.  

Mark made it clear that it was evening time and the sun had set. This tells us that all these happened immediately after the Sabbath was over. The Jewish law said that the appearance of three stars in the sky would signal the end of the Sabbath. The people couldn’t wait for the stars to appear. At the quickest notice of them, they must have bee-lined for Peter’s house. Their spirit of expectation and anticipation was visibly obvious.

The Lord’s heart went out to these needy people. So we read in verse 34 that He healed many who were ill with various diseases and cast out many demons. Just think of how many empty stretchers were brought home and how many crutches were discarded that day. It was a glorious experience for many that night. The victory sound could be heard all throughout the region. Countless demons stayed mute and silent for they all recognized the King and Lord was in session.

We can be sure that none of the people went away disappointed. Verse 34 tells us that the demons knew who He (the Lord) was. One pertinent question is: Do we know Jesus? The question is not whether we know about Him but whether we know Him. It’s not about the amassed facts we have about Him, but a heartfelt transforming experience. One that will propel us to respond to Him in total allegiance, to offer a life of worship and a life of committed and faithful service, to this great Lord and King. Do we know Him!

Mark 1:29-31 – Restored to serve the Master

When Jesus and His disciples, James, John, Andrew and Peter left the synagogue, they headed for the house of Simon Peter and Andrew. They were probably expecting a warm Sabbath meal when they arrived. But they were disappointed, arriving only to find the cook, Peter’s mother-in-law, lying in bed. It’s not difficult to guess that Peter probably didn’t know that his wife’s mother was sick. Or else he would not have made the invitation for them to come to his house. But there was the mother-in-law, sick in bed and running a high fever. This was not a critical condition but it was bad enough to weaken her to the point that she needed to be confined in bed feeling helpless.

Verse 31 tells us that Jesus went to her, took her by the hand and raised her up and the fever left her. In this account, Jesus just gently raised her up. But in Luke 4:39, Jesus actually rebuked the fever and in Matthew 8:15, Jesus touched her hand and the fever left her. These accounts did not contradict each other. All three things probably happened. Using our imagination, we can see that Jesus must have come to her bedroom and stood by her. Then took her by the hand, rebuked the fever and then tenderly raised her up. All these took place before the gaping eyes and jaws of Peter and his fellow disciples.    

In the Gospels, we discovered that Jesus used various methods to heal different ones. He had healed with a touch, He also had healed using mud mixed with saliva and He had also healed with just a word. Some He would even declare their sins forgiven before He went on to heal them. What method He used was very likely dependent on the mental or moral condition of the victim. It would also be very dependent on what He wanted to say to the audience. Here for Peter’s mother-in- law, He was moved by His love and care for her.  

Notice how Peter’s mother-in-law had responded. The way she immediately got up to serve Jesus and the disciples leave us with a model on how we should respond to the Lord and His love for us. Like her, we must be on our feet and serve Him and His people. Be sure that Peter’s mum-in-law could have found one hundred and one reasons why she should just remain in bed to recuperate, but she didn’t. She just got up, went to the kitchen and cooked a sumptuous meal (sanctified imagination) for them.

These three verses teach us how we must also respond to the loving and tender touch of the Lord. All of us are recipients of His love and care. Shouldn’t we be like Peter’s mother-in-law, get on our feet, and serve Him in whatever capacity and gifts He has placed in our lives? The choice is clear!  

Mark 1:23-28 – Supernatural authority and power

While many were still savoring the amazing teaching Jesus was bringing in the synagogue in Capernaum, a man with an unclean spirit disrupted the meeting. From the way the demon in that man cried out in defiance against Jesus, we can tell that evil spirits can recognize who Jesus is. They know details about Jesus. So, that spirit addressed the Lord, calling Him Jesus of Nazareth. That spirit also recognized that the Lord has the power and ability to destroy all evil spirits. So he asked, “Have you come to destroy us?” More evidently, that spirit also knew that Jesus is the Lord, so he declared – You are the Holy One of God.

What that demon said tells us that having knowledge alone is useless. Even with knowledge about Christ, that spirit continued to be defiant towards Him. He was just giving mental ascent to something he knew. True faith is knowing God in both the head and the heart. The knowledge we have about God in our head should have a sanctifying influence in our lives, and engender affection in our hearts for Him. We need to study to know Him more. We also need to apply what we have gleaned from our study and apply it to life. We should be led through the Word to cling to Him with undying devotion and great determination.   

This passage also shows us what authority and power Jesus has. Without loud hollering, Jesus rebuked the spirit in that man. Addressing that spirit, the Lord told him to be quiet and come out of that man. The way the spirit came out of that man reveals that all evil spirits have a violent nature. Throwing his victim into a violent convulsion, the spirit cried out loudly and left him. The point of Mark is this: Jesus has absolute power and authority. We see this in how that unclean spirit obeyed Him, and we also see it in how thunderstruck the audience was with His teaching, that brought about the amazing deliverance.   

In verse 28, the word “immediately” appears again. It shows that the wonderful news of Jesus’ work was ignited and it spread like wild fire. It spread throughout the region of Galilee. That Jesus, whose early ministry created such impact in the region of Galilee, is with us. His authority still rests with his Church today! Dare we stay nonchalant with such good news! Shouldn’t we be agents of that news and proclaim it with His authority and power? Let’s go forth in power!

Mark 1:21-22 – Authoritative teachings

Jesus and the four disciples had now come to Capernaum. A look at the map will tell us that this was a little town located at the Upper Northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus was on a preaching tour of Galilee. On the Sabbath, He and His disciples went into the synagogue and there He began to teach. There would be no doubt that He must have taught with passion, clarity and sincerity. But more than just these, Mark made it clear that He taught with authority, and not as the scribes or the teachers of the law.

Just imagine the many ordinary town-folks who were present in the synagogue that day. Having heard stirring news about the teaching of this man from Nazareth, they all came geared up with great anticipation and expectation, and they were not disappointed. So we see in verse 22 that they were amazed at His teaching. The word amaze gives us the idea that they were so thunderstruck by what He said. Unquestionably, every word from His lips carried a knockout punch.

What’s amazing about Jesus’ teaching was that He did not teach like the scribes. He spoke with authority. The teachings of the scribes’ would be strewn with quotations from other scribes to lend authenticity to the messages. Such kind of messages would certainly be boring and lacking in spontaneity. But there was no such thing in Jesus’ teaching. He taught with authority – the kind that flows from the heart of God. On the one hand, He would explain the Law and the Prophets, and on the other hand, He would reveal the heart and purpose of God in mankind. Both would be communicated with unmistaken clarity and delivered with simplicity and sincerity. It would not be too difficult to detect the truth and genuineness of the Lord from His message. His audience could attest to that.

Our Lord was able to deliver the message with such clarity and authority because He was so consumed by it. He did not just speak the Word, He was and still is the Living Word. He lived it! He was a live demonstration of eternal realities. Like Jesus, if we are to communicate God’s truth with authority, He must be part and parcel of our walk and talk. We need to live His Word in order to share it with conviction and passion. And when we do that we will demonstrate the eternal realities of God in our lives. So let’s just do it!      

Mark 1:16-20 – They left their nets

As we have discovered earlier, the Gospel of Mark is a fast moving book. Mark would leave out details and go for the crux of the matter. Here again we find him dropping the peripheral and centering immediately on the core. This was not the first time that Jesus spoke to these first four disciples of His, namely Andrew and Peter, James and John. According to Luke 5:1-11 and John 1:35-42, Jesus had engaged them on other occasions. It was at this point that Jesus made His invitation to these four disciples undeniably clear.

We notice that all four were ordinary fishermen. Their world and lives were limited to the confine of Galilee. Perhaps they would go to Jerusalem for the annual Jewish festivals. Otherwise they were largely very restricted to the sea of Tiberius, the boat and the nets. Here Mark portrayed Christ walking into their world and called them out of it into His. They were accustomed to catching fish but Christ called them to the task of catching men for the Kingdom. Four ordinary men willingly followed Christ became world changers. They went on to be theologians, thinkers, strategists, and their lives had made an impact in many, including ours.

Being fishermen and to be good at their task, would require the four to know everything about the sea, the boat, the nets and the nature of fish. Think of how much more resolve and thoughtfulness would be required to be fisher of men. And as they made a choice to follow Christ, they opened themselves to the privilege of having His attention and personal nurturing.  

For them, following Christ meant leaving the mundane trivial of life. They left their nets, their boats and their trade. Their hearts were open to the Lord of the universe to become world changers. Being the object of Christ’s love and having made the choice to unquestionably follow Him, they rose to heights they otherwise could not have reached. Christ promised to commit Himself to them and to make them what they were born and called to be.

One lesson rings clearly from this account. Christ expects us to trust and obey Him. His call into a relationship with Him requires changes in our orientation, our personal habits, our occupation and even our family relationship. He wants to make us His faithful witnesses. As much as the response of these disciples was a model to Mark’s audience, it is also a model to us. It shows us how we should trust and obey Christ our Lord. Like them, let’s respond immediately, resolutely and leave the ordinary mundane trivial, so that we can embrace the critical and important unseen reality of the eternal realm!    

Mark 1: 14-15 - The King has arrived

Verse 14 tells us that the Lord Jesus’ public ministry began after John’s imprisonment. He came to Galilee and publicly proclaimed the good news. Here He made two declarations and gave two commands. He said that the time is now set and the Kingdom of God is near. The two responses expected from his hearers are: repentance i.e. to have a radical change of heart and mind and to believe in the good news

From these verses, we are told that God has set everything in its perfect place for the arrival of Christ the King. History was prepared for this specific moment. Paul in Galatians 4:4, calls it “… the fullness of the time…” and this moment has arrived. A look at the physical circumstances of that time, would attest to the truth that everything had indeed been prepared and put in place for the King to break into the world scene.  

We know from history that the Greek had united the world with a common language and had made it easy for the King to communicate the good news in a vernacular that the people could understand. We also know that the Roman dominance had provided the infrastructure that made it conducive for the establishment of the Kingdom of God. In God’s perspective, the Kingdom of God is about the reign of Christ the King. He is what the Kingdom of God is all about.

Mark’s hearers clearly understood what this meant. They knew what Jesus was saying. He was telling them that in Him the Kingdom of God had arrived.  It is not about a physical domain as they anticipated. To them and also to us, the Kingdom of God is about the reign of Christ the King in the lives of any individual who will make Him their Savior and Sovereign Lord. Everyone, young or old, man or woman, needs to know this King. As it was for Mark’s audience so it must be for us.  

In these two verses we are also implicitly introduced to the authority of Jesus. He not only has the power and right to announce the importance of this Kingdom, but He also has the right to expect repentance and obedience as reasonable responses to His command.  

Is Christ really the King of our lives? Having repented and believed in Him what must we do now? What are we doing with the good news of Jesus? The answer is obvious. We must continue to propagate the good news till everyone within the sphere of our influence acknowledges His Sovereign reign over his or her life. Let’s do it earnestly and diligently! We are called not only to touch the Kingdom of God but to enlarge it.    

Mark 1: 12-13 - Christ’s temptation - tested and proven

As usual Mark did not dwell on the temptation of Christ for too long. He explained it in just two short verses. We are told that Jesus was sent into the desert by the Holy Spirit. Notice that it was the Holy Spirit who impelled Him to go into the wilderness to be tempted. And for 40 days, Satan, the adversary, put pressure on Him.

If we cursorily glance through these two verses without giving much thought to Christ’s temptation, we will miss the magnitude and intensity of what He went through. A careful and thoughtful rumination will tell us that all our temptations pale in significance when compared with His. He was caught right smack in the center of the tussle. Think of Satan’s incessant pressure on Him to prove His status as God’s beloved Son. Then think of the threats by the ferocious wild beasts. Then He also had to deal with His physical hunger caused by His fasting.       

But from these two verses, we learn that Jesus was only led into the valley of temptation after He had received God’s highest affirmation. We also read that at the moment of his lowest experience, the angels came to minister to Him. His strength was only tested when He was at the height of His relationship with the Father.  

Similarly, we need to know that at the peak of our relationship with God, our strength in Him may be tested. Circumstances will appear to go against us. But we can seize all opportunities to develop our spiritual strength. We refuse to entertain negative thoughts and self-pity or be engaged in grumbling, murmuring and griping. Like Christ, we will seize the moment. So stay trusting, stay connected, stay committed to Christ and grow stronger in Him!     

Mark 1: 9-11 – The baptism of Christ

Mark moved the facts in his Gospel very quickly, and would briefly describe details that are given more fully by the other Synoptic Gospels. We will also notice that words like straightaway and immediately appear frequently. That’s because Mark’s focus was the mission of the Lord Jesus Christ, and he would rather deal with the crux of the matter. Here in these verses he proceeded to narrate the baptism of our Lord.

Verse 9 tells us that from Nazareth of Galilee, Jesus came to John the Baptist and was baptized by him in the Jordan River. Three distinct events took place when He came out of the water. Firstly, the heavens opened up. To be precise, verse 10 says, “He saw the heavens was opening…” up to Jesus. From that point on wherever Jesus went, the heavens opened before Him. Secondly, the Holy Spirit, like a dove, descended and alighted on Him. In other words, the Lord was empowered by the Holy Spirit for the mission before Him. And thirdly, God the Father spoke from heaven, saying to Jesus, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.” This was a personal message to the Lord.

Christ went through the baptism to show His identification with us sinners and to signify the beginning of His earthly mission. Whatever happened at His baptism indicated to us that Jesus was God’s beloved Son, and He was on a God-given and empowered mission here on earth.

In just three verses we are introduced to the God we worship, the blessed Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. More importantly, we see Jesus our Lord, the Messiah, and the Anointed One of God. As the heavens was opening to Him, It is now also opening to us through Him. Beloved, we all have the rich resources of heaven! Let’s stay connected to Christ.  

Mark 1:2-8 – Christ’s fore-runner

Following his proclamation of the good news concerning Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Mark the author quoted two Old Testament prophecies. He combined one prophecy from Malachi and one from Isaiah and alluded it to the coming of John the Baptist. In so doing he had linked the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the God of the Old Covenant.

In God’s plan for the propagation of the Gospel, John the Baptist was sent to pave the way for the coming of Jesus, the Messiah.  This John the Baptist was the fore-runner whom God had promised in Malachi 3:1 whom He would send. And he was also the voice that Isaiah 4:30 spoke about. John was the voice crying in the wilderness calling for the people to be ready for the coming of the Messiah.   

As a fulfilment of these prophecies, John the Baptist came to the wilderness as God had ordained. The wilderness here refers to the wilderness of Judea. This was the very place where God made himself known to Moses in Exodus 3. It was here that King David and also Elijah sought refuge in 1 Samuel 23-26 and 1 Kings 19 respectively.

John the Baptist emerged in that same wilderness with a three-prong message: Firstly, he called the people into a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And we are told that many people throughout Judea, as well as those from Jerusalem, came to listen to him. And many of them who heard his message, were convinced, confessed their sins and were baptized by John the Baptist at River Jordan.

Secondly, John the Baptist proclaimed that Jesus Christ, the One Whom he came to proclaim, would be mightier. This Jesus was coming into the world scene. The greatness of the Messiah humbled John. He even felt unworthy to untie the straps of the Messiah’s sandals. Thirdly, John proclaimed that this Jesus, the Messiah, would be the Baptizer of the Holy Spirit. He did not come just to wash away our sin but to fill our lives with God’s presence.   

In verse 6, Mark deviated to tell us the kind of simple lifestyle John the Baptist led. His clothing was made of camel’s hair and he wore a leather belt around his waist.  His diet was also simple comprising of locust and wild honey.

John’s whole life was God’s voice. He was not just a prophet, he was prophecies revealed. How he lived and what he said, was God speaking to the people. He was God’s message demonstrated. Like John, our lives must demonstrate God’s Word daily! Let’s not just speak God’s Word; let’s be the live demonstration of God’s Word daily!

Mark 1:1 – The good news of Jesus Christ

The Gospels are essentially biographies of the Lord Jesus Christ. They contain accounts of the life, mission and works of Jesus our Lord. In the New Testament there are four Gospels. Three of them Matthew. Mark and Luke are known as the Synoptic Gospels because they bear similarities. John is known as the spiritual Gospel because he wrote about the Lord from another perspective. Our focus will be on the Gospel according to Mark. This account by Mark was written by none other than John Mark, whose mother was a woman named Mary.

John Mark was the same person who went with Paul and Barnabas in their first missionary journey in Acts 12.  But midway through their journey, he abandoned the mission team (Acts 13:13). This abandonment precipitated a dispute between Barnabas and Paul when they decided to go for another mission. Barnabas wanted Mark on the team and Paul refused to take him along. So Paul and Barnabas parted company and each went on separate missions. But we know that later in life, Paul was reconciled with Mark. That accounted for Paul’s commendation of him in some of his epistles. This was the same John Mark who wrote the Gospel according to Mark.   

Mark’s opening verse, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” is unique in the sense that it became the title of his book. It would be more appropriate to describe the gospel as good news. And this good news is about Jesus Christ. In earlier written secular literature, good and joyful news had to do with the birth of an Emperor or when an Emperor was enthroned.  This good news according to Mark is about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Mark did not talk about Christ’s birth. He only briefly narrated about His early life. But he went full throttle into narrating about Christ’s works, to seek and save lost humanity. Jesus Christ is the really good news, in fact the only good news.

The implication for us is this: good news always impel us to do something about it. We are to spread it. We are introduced to this good news that led to our conversion to Christ. We have made Christ the Lord and Savior of our lives.  In Him, we have received the unusual impartation of His peace and strength. Unless we have not truly experienced the wonders of the gospel, how can we resist spreading something so good and so wonderful! Let’s share it!

 

Colossians 5:15-18 - Closing thoughts

Who was Nympha? In verse 15, we learnt that she hosted a church in her house. Whether the whole church or part of the church in Laodicea met in her house, we are not clear. However, we are told in this verse that Paul sent greetings to the believers in Laodicea, and those meeting in her house and to her personally. Apart from this verse, there is no mention of her anywhere else in the New Testament.

In verse 16, Paul gave instruction that this letter he had written should be read to the believers, most likely in their worship service. And it should also be read to the church in Laodicea. Paul also talked about a letter written to the church in Laodicea that would be coming to them soon. He also instructed that, that letter should be read to the Colossians too. These letters were like the messages given in worship services today. In these epistles, the people were taught the Word of God.

In verse 17, Paul gave a personal word to Archippus. Who was he? It was suggested that he could be the son of Philemon and Apphia. The apostle exhorted him to discharge the ministry entrusted to him by the Lord. It was a personal message that he should take heed to do. It could well be that he was disheartened and wanted to relinquish the work he was called to do. Paul commanded him to continue and complete the work he had been given.

Most of Paul’s letters were dictated to a scribe who would write them. He would then pen a few closing words with his own hand to lend authenticity to the letter. Here he also did that. Like all of his letters, this one was also written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Thus it is divine instruction for faith and practice. Paul also reminded them that he was in chain. It was a gentle call to keep him in prayer.

And just as he had started with sending to them the grace of God, he now closed with ‘Grace be with you.’ It has been grace that had started many of us in our Christian journey and it will also be grace that will see us through.

We need this grace, this divine enablement to help us end strong and gloriously for the Lord. Like Isaac Watt said in his song, Amazing Grace, “…this grace has brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.” Let’s rely on God’s grace to see us through each challenge in life but let’s also remember to bring our needs before God in prayer.