Mark 12:12 (NIV84) — 12 Then they looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away.

"Kill the messenger!" That is the cry of the unsure, the weak and the insecure. Do we do it? When someone calls us out on something do we degrade the person rather than respond to the call out? When someone disagrees with us to we use an "ad hominem", a reaction directed against a person rather than directed against a position. When a preacher says something we don't like to we go after him or her rather than the doctrine or stance they have taken? Do we feel compelled to use their name as the bad example or are we able to teach truth and divide it from error? It's time for a checkup?

They wanted to arrest and kill Jesus because his teaching was against their teaching and against them. I realize the Jesus himself called out certain sects when teaching. It's not like we can always ignore the nonsense that passes for religion, but the breadth of Jesus life was dedicated to preaching truth and good news, healing and releasing. He brought hope, love and power. That is our aspiration. 

Mark 4:38 (NIV84) — 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

They woke up Jesus to do something, right? Maybe not.

Mark 4:41 (NIV84) — 41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

I don't think they thought he was going to calm the waves. I think it is very possible that they wanted someone to share their own anxiety. They certainly didn't expect, by looking at their answer, that Jesus was going to get the wind and waves to obey him. Consider this; misery loves company. I do it sometimes. I want my wife to feel my stress. There, I admitted it. Maybe you are like the disciples and 99% of people who want others to join you in your depression, anxiety, worry, anger or whatever. We don't do it all the time, but it happens. When we think about it reasonably, it is a shockingly ugly thought. I don't want my wife to feel my stress, I want her to de-stress me if anything. Maybe apologies are necessary when we catch ourselves doing this.

The disciples picked the right guy to share their anxiety and fear with. Mr. Fearless. He won't commiserate with you, but He will have compassion on you and eventually solve your issues if you let Him. The storms..., well, He is more about the inside than the outside. But He calms outside storms too!

By PT

Matt 21 starts out with an interesting parable about fairness. I know there are other applications, but the cry of the workers hired first was, "not fair!" Upon examining the parable, I think I agree with the workers who bore the heat of the day. All were workers, but some only worked a few hours. Not fair! I know that the first workers who were hired made an agreement with the boss, (so I agree with the boss) but somehow that didn't matter to them anymore. Hmmm...

It got me thinking about how many times I have been envious or jealous of what others have. Whether it material wealth, gifts, charisma, a big ministry, talents, popularity and fame, intelligence or good looks, sometimes I have wondered, "how come they got..., and I didn't." As the old joke goes, I must have been in the humor line when they gave out the good looks. (Or something like that). I wonder if the first hired workers would have been upset if they had not seen the last hired workers get paid?

What do you make of this? Is this a problem for you? I am dedicated to cheering everyone on and rejoicing when they get things I don't have.

 

By Jeremy Holstrom 
Matthew 14 -15

What would it be like to feed 5,000 people even if your budget was limitless?! What was it like to feed 5,000 people having only a few loaves of bread and two fish?! The practicality of this miracle blows me away - I just know how long it takes for us to all get out food at family gatherings which is typically about 40-50 people. I imagine Jesus began speaking while the food was past around which still would have created some commotion. 

This is what I love about Jesus. He is not deterred or set off course by the things I tend to occupy my time with (the details). He delivers the message / His does what He needs to do - what His Father has instructed Him do to. Never swayed or distracted by whats going on around Him. 

By Bela Gecsey


Wow! How much healing and fun can Jesus pack in 2 chapters.

What was so amazing to me, it was the people’s faith in knowing who Jesus was and what He could do that they were healed.  We have the power and dominion on earth to speak what Jesus has promised, it is by our faith, He is willing!

35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

The people came after Jesus because they knew they could be healed.

It says “healing every disease and sickness”,  Jesus had compassion or mercy for the people because they were harassed and helpless.

This tells me that not everyone in the towns and cities believed in Jesus.  People were mocking and making fun of the people that believed in Jesus.  There was still sickness, sin and disease in the towns.

Why does Jesus say not to tell anyone?

I have read this before many times and always wondered why.  Today when I read

4 Then Jesus said to him,“See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

I thought in this situation Jesus is wanting the Priest to declare that the man is clean and to follow the laws of Moses with offering.  Jesus didn’t want His declaration that the man was cleansed but for the Priest and by their laws declare him clean. Then when the Priest find out after their declaration that Jesus is the one that healed the man.  Gotcha!

Matt. 1-3

What stood out to me was the fact that God is often unconventional. The linage of Jesus was spotted with people who didn't exactly do everything right. Then there was the birth, or rather the pregnancy. It had to happen that way but think about Joseph. Your fiancée is pregnant and you didn't do it. Then an angel tells you God did it. Then move here, then move there. Couldn't God had done it another way? Surely there was a better plan than Egypt? I think I would have been asking, "what in the world is going on here?"

Have you been there? Wondering, "why not take the direct route?" I pray for $1000 to fix my car and, viola, $1000 shows up in my bank account. I pray for direction and a letter is on my night stand with instructions. That is what I want..., or do I? God has His way and my question to myself is, will I submit to it? Will I be okay with how God does things. Is His way superior or not? There really is no choice, but our attitude is a choice. Our submission too. Does He know best or not?