Mark 13:32-37
After Jesus describes to his disciples the end times he finishes with emphasizing to them to stay awake, lest the Lord return suddenly and find them asleep. I fear we have simply interpreted this to mean those that are awake are those who prayed to receive Christ and are waiting for his return, and those who are asleep are those who have not prayed this and do not know he is returning. To think this is to miss Jesus' warnings. We spend our lives trying to maintain a past decision we made, trying to follow some pattern or standard of what is expected of someone who has prayed such a prayer. This, we determine is the christian life and what Jesus means by staying awake. This cannot be. Take Ephesians 5:11-18 into consideration with this passage. We are told to wake up, to let Christ's light shine to expose our darkness. To walk as wise, understanding what the Lord's will is, and be filled with the Spirit. This is not maintaining a past decision, but persevering in a current walk, which only Christ can lead us in, through his Holy Spirit. Maintaining a past decision according to acceptable standards is fleshly and self-led. Look at Jesus talking to his disciples in Gethsemane (14:32-42). He tells them to watch and pray (same language used here in chapter 13 that we are discussing), and yet finds them asleep. He warns them that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. It doesn't matter that they wanted to remain awake and or had been awake up until now, their perseverance had stopped, and flesh had taken over, and this is to be asleep, and as a result they all fell away (Matthew 26:31, 56). Take this back to our warnings in chapter 13 and we have our answer. As end of times approach, persecution and deception will increase. If our walk with Jesus is not currently alive and Spirit-led, no matter what our desires are or what our life has looked like in the past, we will either fall away or be led away. If we are not currently following the Spirit then we are following the flesh (Gal. 5:16-18). And flesh is weak and cannot discern false prophets and cannot endure persecution. Matthew 24:10 refers to this as "falling away". Does this not speak of those who are seemingly in Christ, yet fall away from the faith? Not people who are clearly outside the faith. These people are looking for Christ to return, yet they cannot discern between the real one and the false one's that will come. He gives us the example of observing a fig tree and determining seasons by its sprouting. But don't forget the lesson of the fig tree in Mark 11. This fig tree was beautiful in appearance and leafy, yet barren. It had sprouted in the wrong season (11:13), and as a result was withered to the root. The real question is not have you prayed in the past or desired him in the past, but are you currently walking with and truly desiring him? Now the disciples, although they fell away, were reconciled to Jesus after his resurrection, but the falling away we are talking about affords no such luxury. There will be no reconciliation. If lukewarmness or indifference has set in, serious questions need to be asked before it is too late, and we are found to asleep.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Friday, October 7, 2011
The Greatest Commandment
Mark 12:28-34
We must pose a very important question here: have we neglected the greatest commandment, according to Jesus, in favor of his other commandments? I fear we have put serving, giving, studying the Bible, even the great commission ahead of this, the greatest of all commandments. But we have to realize that if we have done this, all these other works are absolutely worthless (I Cor. 13:1-3). All our other works flow from this. We cannot properly perform these other duties until we have first laid hold of this, the greatest of all commandments. We must be very careful because these duties can be performed out of love of religion, or self, or others, or any number of things. These motives are not wrong seemingly, unless love of God is not primary, then they have taken a place where they do not belong. Love of God is essential. It is our testimony to the world (I John 13:35). It is the prerequisite to loving others (I John 5:2). And it is the commandment that all other commandments hinge upon (Matthew 22:39, 40). Look at the fruits of the Spirit (Galations 5:22, 23). Do not all the other fruits seem to stem from the first fruit: love? These are the true indications of whether or not the Spirit is working and leading, not outward appearance. And it is not enough to just know this. The scribe in our story knew it, confessed it, seemingly believed it, and yet Jesus only states he is close to the kingdom, not a part of it (vs. 32-34). We can know this and yet still miss it, just as this scribe did. We must stop measuring our christian lives by how much we witness or serve or give. We must start measuring by God's standard: how much do we love, first him, then others. Because only he can give this (I John 4:19). Getting these out of order is death to our christian walk, no matter how spiritual you and your works may appear.
We must pose a very important question here: have we neglected the greatest commandment, according to Jesus, in favor of his other commandments? I fear we have put serving, giving, studying the Bible, even the great commission ahead of this, the greatest of all commandments. But we have to realize that if we have done this, all these other works are absolutely worthless (I Cor. 13:1-3). All our other works flow from this. We cannot properly perform these other duties until we have first laid hold of this, the greatest of all commandments. We must be very careful because these duties can be performed out of love of religion, or self, or others, or any number of things. These motives are not wrong seemingly, unless love of God is not primary, then they have taken a place where they do not belong. Love of God is essential. It is our testimony to the world (I John 13:35). It is the prerequisite to loving others (I John 5:2). And it is the commandment that all other commandments hinge upon (Matthew 22:39, 40). Look at the fruits of the Spirit (Galations 5:22, 23). Do not all the other fruits seem to stem from the first fruit: love? These are the true indications of whether or not the Spirit is working and leading, not outward appearance. And it is not enough to just know this. The scribe in our story knew it, confessed it, seemingly believed it, and yet Jesus only states he is close to the kingdom, not a part of it (vs. 32-34). We can know this and yet still miss it, just as this scribe did. We must stop measuring our christian lives by how much we witness or serve or give. We must start measuring by God's standard: how much do we love, first him, then others. Because only he can give this (I John 4:19). Getting these out of order is death to our christian walk, no matter how spiritual you and your works may appear.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Render to Caeser What is Caesar's
Mark 13-17
I find it interesting that this passage immediately follows the parable of the vineyard owner (12:1-12). From this first parable one would infer that God has planted the vineyard, provided all the means necessary to harvest it and keep it, therefore he is due all the fruit of it, i.e. he owns everything, we are just working it so we owe him all of "our" earnings. Therefore give him all your money. Seems pretty simple. But then you come across this passage where Jesus commands one to give money to the government, as is due them, rendering it impossible to give all to God, which is due him (Luke 14:33), seeming to contradict his former parable of the vineyard, where the true owner of the vineyard is due the fruit of the vineyard. This is where we must be given ears to hear and eyes to see. God is not after simply our money. We are to give God what is due him: our heart and lives, not simply our money. We can give all our money to him out of peer pressure or guilt or to advance our own name and ministry or legalism, etc., which still holds back from him what is due him: our hearts, missing the whole point and purpose. Simply giving him money out of impure motives is nothing more than paying taxes to the government. If we give out of these motives God is still not our treasure, therefore neither are our hearts his (Matthew 6:21). He most often asks for our money, not because he wants it or needs it, but because we are so attached to it, giving it what only he deserves. And as long as this is the case, we cannot properly serve and love him (Matthew 6:24), despite what we may say or think. The issue here is obedience, not simply giving money. He is due, not only our money, but whatever he asks for, whether that be money or not. Money, to God, is worthless in and of itself. It is earthly and due the government, so let them have it. God is due so much more. Give Caesar your money, but give God your heart and loyalty and obedience and affection and anything else he asks for, showing your true love for him (John 14:15, 21-24). They key is obedience, and to be obedient one must hear from God, not rely on his own understanding.
I find it interesting that this passage immediately follows the parable of the vineyard owner (12:1-12). From this first parable one would infer that God has planted the vineyard, provided all the means necessary to harvest it and keep it, therefore he is due all the fruit of it, i.e. he owns everything, we are just working it so we owe him all of "our" earnings. Therefore give him all your money. Seems pretty simple. But then you come across this passage where Jesus commands one to give money to the government, as is due them, rendering it impossible to give all to God, which is due him (Luke 14:33), seeming to contradict his former parable of the vineyard, where the true owner of the vineyard is due the fruit of the vineyard. This is where we must be given ears to hear and eyes to see. God is not after simply our money. We are to give God what is due him: our heart and lives, not simply our money. We can give all our money to him out of peer pressure or guilt or to advance our own name and ministry or legalism, etc., which still holds back from him what is due him: our hearts, missing the whole point and purpose. Simply giving him money out of impure motives is nothing more than paying taxes to the government. If we give out of these motives God is still not our treasure, therefore neither are our hearts his (Matthew 6:21). He most often asks for our money, not because he wants it or needs it, but because we are so attached to it, giving it what only he deserves. And as long as this is the case, we cannot properly serve and love him (Matthew 6:24), despite what we may say or think. The issue here is obedience, not simply giving money. He is due, not only our money, but whatever he asks for, whether that be money or not. Money, to God, is worthless in and of itself. It is earthly and due the government, so let them have it. God is due so much more. Give Caesar your money, but give God your heart and loyalty and obedience and affection and anything else he asks for, showing your true love for him (John 14:15, 21-24). They key is obedience, and to be obedient one must hear from God, not rely on his own understanding.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Religious Fear
Mark 11:15-19
In Deuteronomy 6 and 10 we are told to fear the Lord our God. This is a good and necessary command. We are told in verse 18 of this passage in Mark that the religious leaders did in fact fear Jesus. But clearly this fear was not in obedience to the command given in Deuteronomy. The fear talked about in Deuteronomy is a reverent fear, a fear of disobeying his commands and wandering from him. This fear sees his holiness and righteousness and our wickedness and wretchedness and realizes the separation, and fears disobedience and straying out from under his mercy, realizing our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 11:28, 29). This fear drives us to him tighter, clinging to him continually, finding shelter in his wings. The fear talked about here in Mark 11:18 is a jealous fear, a selfish, fleshly fear that stems more from what his presence means for their success and status. And this type of fear drives them to want to destroy him (vs. 19), to eliminate the threat he poses for their self-centered lives. Now, none of us would confess or even entertain the thought of destroying him, that is absurd. But do we not evidence this same reaction by our lives? We read or hear passages of scripture that we don't like so we reinterpret them more to our liking, or justify our position under them in some deformed manner. How is this any different than the reaction of the scribes and priests in this passage, aside from being more subtle and deceptive? We also seek to eliminate the threat he poses, just as they did, we just are more "refined" and "civilized" in our attempts.
In Deuteronomy 6 and 10 we are told to fear the Lord our God. This is a good and necessary command. We are told in verse 18 of this passage in Mark that the religious leaders did in fact fear Jesus. But clearly this fear was not in obedience to the command given in Deuteronomy. The fear talked about in Deuteronomy is a reverent fear, a fear of disobeying his commands and wandering from him. This fear sees his holiness and righteousness and our wickedness and wretchedness and realizes the separation, and fears disobedience and straying out from under his mercy, realizing our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 11:28, 29). This fear drives us to him tighter, clinging to him continually, finding shelter in his wings. The fear talked about here in Mark 11:18 is a jealous fear, a selfish, fleshly fear that stems more from what his presence means for their success and status. And this type of fear drives them to want to destroy him (vs. 19), to eliminate the threat he poses for their self-centered lives. Now, none of us would confess or even entertain the thought of destroying him, that is absurd. But do we not evidence this same reaction by our lives? We read or hear passages of scripture that we don't like so we reinterpret them more to our liking, or justify our position under them in some deformed manner. How is this any different than the reaction of the scribes and priests in this passage, aside from being more subtle and deceptive? We also seek to eliminate the threat he poses, just as they did, we just are more "refined" and "civilized" in our attempts.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Blindly Finding Jesus
Mark 10:46-52
A blind man on the side of the road is calling out to Jesus as he passes by. He refers to him as "The Son of David", indicating he believes in Jesus as the promised one, the Savior. He cries out and cries out, despite what others are saying to him, telling him to be quiet. He must have this Jesus hear him. And Jesus finally calls out to him to come. So, this poor blind beggar leaves behind his cloak and immediately rises and takes after Jesus. Although he cannot see, he finds his way to Jesus anyways, pushing his way through the crowd, not caring that he cannot see. He trusts that he will get to Jesus eventually, even though this man has not heard Jesus personally call him. He was told that Jesus was calling him (vs. 49). How many times do we wait to see before we will come after Jesus? We wait for the personal voice to come specifically to us and want to see the path to take and see Jesus standing there at the end waiting for us. This man had none of those things, and yet he was desperate enough to walk forward anyways. And his original request was not for healing, it was for mercy (vs. 47), being given what he did not deserve. And when the potential opportunity presented itself he left what little he had and ventured out towards the merciful one. And once he finds Jesus, he does not go back to gather his belongings, what little he did have, he leaves them all behind and continues with Jesus. A cloak for a poor man was probably fairly important, but Jesus is more important, his mercy is more important. How often do we "leave" behind our belongings to come to Jesus in our desperate hour only to return to them later? Does this not evidence that we feel we have received our just due, that we have received what we are entitled to? This man clung to Jesus because he has received what he did not deserve (mercy) and was afraid of returning to his former position, lest he receive what he did deserve (separation from Jesus). We return to our old ways and belongings because we are not afraid to leave the merciful one because we feel we are entitled to mercy whenever we so choose and so we go back to those things that are truly important to us, the things that we are truly afraid of losing, and it is not Jesus. Would we blindly venture out after Christ, leaving everything behind, never to return to them, on the hunch or possibility we may encounter Christ? This man did.
A blind man on the side of the road is calling out to Jesus as he passes by. He refers to him as "The Son of David", indicating he believes in Jesus as the promised one, the Savior. He cries out and cries out, despite what others are saying to him, telling him to be quiet. He must have this Jesus hear him. And Jesus finally calls out to him to come. So, this poor blind beggar leaves behind his cloak and immediately rises and takes after Jesus. Although he cannot see, he finds his way to Jesus anyways, pushing his way through the crowd, not caring that he cannot see. He trusts that he will get to Jesus eventually, even though this man has not heard Jesus personally call him. He was told that Jesus was calling him (vs. 49). How many times do we wait to see before we will come after Jesus? We wait for the personal voice to come specifically to us and want to see the path to take and see Jesus standing there at the end waiting for us. This man had none of those things, and yet he was desperate enough to walk forward anyways. And his original request was not for healing, it was for mercy (vs. 47), being given what he did not deserve. And when the potential opportunity presented itself he left what little he had and ventured out towards the merciful one. And once he finds Jesus, he does not go back to gather his belongings, what little he did have, he leaves them all behind and continues with Jesus. A cloak for a poor man was probably fairly important, but Jesus is more important, his mercy is more important. How often do we "leave" behind our belongings to come to Jesus in our desperate hour only to return to them later? Does this not evidence that we feel we have received our just due, that we have received what we are entitled to? This man clung to Jesus because he has received what he did not deserve (mercy) and was afraid of returning to his former position, lest he receive what he did deserve (separation from Jesus). We return to our old ways and belongings because we are not afraid to leave the merciful one because we feel we are entitled to mercy whenever we so choose and so we go back to those things that are truly important to us, the things that we are truly afraid of losing, and it is not Jesus. Would we blindly venture out after Christ, leaving everything behind, never to return to them, on the hunch or possibility we may encounter Christ? This man did.
Confession is Not Completion
Matthew 16:13-28
Jesus asks his disciples who people say he is, then asks them who they say he is. Peter confesses him as the Christ, the Messiah, their Savior, the one who was promised. Jesus confirms Peter, telling him that his Father in heaven, God himself has revealed that to him. Peter has had his eyes opened by God and sees Jesus for who he really is. And yet that is not enough. Just a few verses later Jesus rebukes him because he has the things of man in mind and not the things of God. Jesus has told him that he must suffer and die and Peter rebuked him, telling him he would never allow that to happen. Peter sees death as bad as undesirable, as a tragedy that cannot take place. Jesus tells him that this mindset is of man, not God. In fact, Jesus goes on to say that not only will he suffer and die, but anyone who would follow him must suffer the same. This is the mindset of God and not man. Death is good and, in fact, required for any follower of Jesus. Peter does not understand this because his mind is still set on the things of man and not God, even though he just confessed Jesus as Christ. A confession of Jesus as Christ is not enough, one must continue on to suffer death, if he is to be a true follower of Jesus. A servant becomes like his master (John 15). Taking Jesus' rebuke into consideration, we can infer that basically Jesus is saying to Peter, "Peter, your confession of me as the Christ is incredible, and was given to you by God himself, but that is not enough, you still have the things of man in mind. You have to set your mind on things above, on the things of God. Then you will see that confession is not enough, that death must come and it is good and necessary. Then you will have the things of God in mind." We cannot stop at confession and think we are there. We must suffer death. We must die to ourselves and our flesh. We must lose our life if we are to save it. Simple confession is to set one's mind on the things of man and avoid death and denial of self, and ultimately a loss of life, real life. Real life embraces death and denial. For what does it profit a man if he saves his life, prolongs his desires and gain and survives? This is not exchangeable for one's soul.
Jesus asks his disciples who people say he is, then asks them who they say he is. Peter confesses him as the Christ, the Messiah, their Savior, the one who was promised. Jesus confirms Peter, telling him that his Father in heaven, God himself has revealed that to him. Peter has had his eyes opened by God and sees Jesus for who he really is. And yet that is not enough. Just a few verses later Jesus rebukes him because he has the things of man in mind and not the things of God. Jesus has told him that he must suffer and die and Peter rebuked him, telling him he would never allow that to happen. Peter sees death as bad as undesirable, as a tragedy that cannot take place. Jesus tells him that this mindset is of man, not God. In fact, Jesus goes on to say that not only will he suffer and die, but anyone who would follow him must suffer the same. This is the mindset of God and not man. Death is good and, in fact, required for any follower of Jesus. Peter does not understand this because his mind is still set on the things of man and not God, even though he just confessed Jesus as Christ. A confession of Jesus as Christ is not enough, one must continue on to suffer death, if he is to be a true follower of Jesus. A servant becomes like his master (John 15). Taking Jesus' rebuke into consideration, we can infer that basically Jesus is saying to Peter, "Peter, your confession of me as the Christ is incredible, and was given to you by God himself, but that is not enough, you still have the things of man in mind. You have to set your mind on things above, on the things of God. Then you will see that confession is not enough, that death must come and it is good and necessary. Then you will have the things of God in mind." We cannot stop at confession and think we are there. We must suffer death. We must die to ourselves and our flesh. We must lose our life if we are to save it. Simple confession is to set one's mind on the things of man and avoid death and denial of self, and ultimately a loss of life, real life. Real life embraces death and denial. For what does it profit a man if he saves his life, prolongs his desires and gain and survives? This is not exchangeable for one's soul.
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