FAITH

MARK 3:7-19a

FAITH

“…and the un-clean spirits whenever they saw Him cried out saying ‘you are the Son of God,’ but He sternly warned them they should not make Him known.” Mark 3:11-12

Christianity that we believe in is based on a faith in an unseen God. Even with Jesus performing many miracles, there was still doubt and denial as to who He was. I believe this command for the evil to remain silent was to keep the mystery; to leave enough unknown that we can not only believe but have our own inquisitive nature to help us build our faith.

 I have no doubt that Jesus is the Son of God, but I also believe He did not want to lay out vivid proof. This would leave no need for faith. It would be black and white; we would see it all and therefore be so informed we would not need to choose. We would be less human.

God gave us some mystery so we can read the Bible and choose His way. Salvation is free. We need only to make the right choice.

Heavenly Father: Help us to always keep our faith....Amen

~ Joe McCrobie

LORD OF THE SABBATH

MARK 2:23-3:6

LORD OF THE SABBATH

“Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27-28.

The Pharisees made many things unlawful on the Sabbath, yet Jesus violated those laws.  He plucked heads of grain; he healed the sick.  I imagine there were other things that were equally egregious that brought the community eye to turn his way. 

“Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?’ But they remained silent.” Mark 3:4. Jesus proceeded to heal a man in direct violation of the laws of his time.

My grandmother did not believe in violating the Sabbath.  She cooked on Saturday and ate cold food on Sunday so that her day could be centered on her bible.  But, she still had work to do: walk to church, feed the chickens, milk the cow and pick the butterbeans.  These actions made her feel guilty; she’d been taught that all things on the Sabbath had to be done to benefit her relationship with God.  I wish she and I could talk about Jesus in the book of Mark; the Sabbath was created for us, not the other way around, and yes!

Taking care of one’s responsibilities is what Jesus wants us to do. That is what he did, despite the displeasure of the Pharisees.  And, he took time for worship, as we all should do.

Dear Lord, thank you for sending your son Jesus to teach us and guide us in what is truly important.  Your word is a light into our collective darkness.

~Elizabeth Matthews Jones

WWJT (WHAT WOULD JESUS THINK?)

MARK 2:13-22

WWJT (WHAT WOULD JESUS THINK?)

“And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?’ ” Mark 2: 16 (KJV)

Eating with publicans and sinners was not “politically” correct at the time. “These people” were considered unclean, reproachable; and Jesus was not behaving as they thought the Messiah should.

This story brings to mind a controversy involving the Roanoke Farmers’ Market area some time ago. Homeless people, frequently referred to as “bums”, would spend time on the public benches. Some folks were offended to share the benches with smelly, dirty people. The solution was to take out the benches, so no one had places to sit. More than a little self-righteously, I thought how selfish and mean. Ah, the comfort of moral certainty.

Sometime later, a very wealthy person made a remark about the level of giving to non-profits. Those who donated nominal (by this person’s standards) amounts were relegated to the ranks of “low-hanging” fruit. Well…I fell into that group, and I was greatly offended.

As I reflected on these two perspectives and Jesus’ response, “…I came not to call the righteous, but sinners,” it reinforced for me how meaningless our “classifications” are. Yup! You, me, the “bums”, the “snobs”, and all the other unwashed are cleansed only through God’s grace, and saved through Jesus’ sacrifice for us through the world’s greatest miracle – our Savior’s Resurrection.

THANK YOU, GOD! for your unwavering, unfathomable love for each and every one of us. Help me “get” that, and live my life in response to it – to your glory. Amen

~ Judy Hensley

VISIBLE FAITH

MARK 2:1-12

VISIBLE FAITH

“When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ " Mark 2: 5 (NIV)

What does your faith look like?  I know at times my faith manifests itself as little more than showing up for church on Sundays and saying a prayer before dinner.  But God sent his only son to suffer and die for us; surely, in response to that awesome expression of love, our faith must lead us to do more than sit in a pew once a week.

The men in this story were driven by their faith to hoist their friend onto a rooftop and dig through the roof to get him near Jesus.  And Jesus' response?  He saw their faith and was moved to offer the paralytic forgiveness and healing.  This Lenten season let us allow our faith to lead us into bold action.

Lord, in these days leading up to the celebration of Your resurrection, strengthen our faith so that it may be visible to You through our actions.

~ Lisa Goad