The End of Mark . . . Again.

Mark 16:19-20, CEB - After the Lord Jesus spoke to them, he was lifted up into heaven and sat down on the right side of God.  But they went out and proclaimed the message everywhere. The Lord worked with them, confirming the word by the signs associated with them.

 

                We come the ending of all endings of Mark today.  It is a summarization probably borrowed from other sources in order to wrap up the gospel in a nice tidy way.  This ending certainly does a better job of that than the original ending (verse 16:8), which leaves great uncertainty.  Jesus ascends into heaven and his disciples begin carry out the mission.  This ending is descriptive of the time after the original gospel was finished, so in that way, it is appropriate. It also likely gives us glimpse into the early second century after Jesus’s death.

                It references a church that is fully focused on its primary mission of proclaiming the good news of Jesus.  This is a great reminder to the church of the twenty-first century which often becomes distracted by other more superfluous matters.  This ending also references a church fully connected to the power of God as they experienced signs and wonders amidst their efforts to further the mission of Christ.  This also serves as a guiding principle to current congregations that often operate as if it all depends on the human being involved to “make” the mission of the church happen. 

                Both reminders are also instructive to individual Christians.  As followers of Jesus, we are part of a calling that is bigger than our individual concerns and livelihoods.   Our lives are supposed to be a reflection and witness to the resurrected Messiah Jesus.  Additionally, the power for us to do that does not originate in us, but in the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells in us.  We rely on God more than we rely on our own power and intellect. 

                As we come to the end of our journey through the Gospel of Mark, I pray it has been good one for each of you.  I pray that God has used these reflections to spur you forward in your faith and calling.  I pray that your understanding and appreciation for scripture has grown and you feel more connected to the church to which Mark is a faithful witness.  I also pray that this journey has strengthened your commitment to connect with scripture regularly, whether it is through a devotional commentary like this or through other means.  Finally, I pray that you will be blessed through your daily practices of scripture and prayer.  To that end, I leave you with a benediction from scripture that has meant a lot to be since I was a teenager.

 

Questions: How are you personally connected to mission of the church?  Do you rely on the power of God to fulfill that role?

 

Prayer/Blessing:  "May the Lord bless you and keep you.

May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you.

May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace,

both now and forever more." Amen.

 

Song:  Priestly Blessing – James Block

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjXYjcAyvGI  

Exposing What’s Truly Important to Us

Mark 5:1-20, CEB - Jesus and his disciples came to the other side of the lake, to the region of the Gerasenes. As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out of the tombs. This man lived among the tombs, and no one was ever strong enough to restrain him, even with a chain. He had been secured many times with leg irons and chains, but he broke the chains and smashed the leg irons. No one was tough enough to control him. Night and day in the tombs and the hills, he would howl and cut himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from far away, he ran and knelt before him, shouting, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won’t torture me!”

He said this because Jesus had already commanded him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!”

Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

He responded, “Legion is my name, because we are many.” They pleaded with Jesus not to send them out of that region.

A large herd of pigs was feeding on the hillside.  “Send us into the pigs!” they begged. “Let us go into the pigs!”  Jesus gave them permission, so the unclean spirits left the man and went into the pigs. Then the herd of about two thousand pigs rushed down the cliff into the lake and drowned.

Those who tended the pigs ran away and told the story in the city and in the countryside. People came to see what had happened.  They came to Jesus and saw the man who used to be demon-possessed. They saw the very man who had been filled with many demons sitting there fully dressed and completely sane, and they were filled with awe.  Those who had actually seen what had happened to the demon-possessed man told the others about the pigs.   Then they pleaded with Jesus to leave their region.

While he was climbing into the boat, the one who had been demon-possessed pleaded with Jesus to let him come along as one of his disciples.  But Jesus wouldn’t allow it. “Go home to your own people,” Jesus said, “and tell them what the Lord has done for you and how he has shown you mercy.”  The man went away and began to proclaim in the Ten Cities all that Jesus had done for him, and everyone was amazed.

 

Of the three gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) that include this story, Mark’s is the longest account.  This is curious, because Mark, who is usually known for his brevity (his gospel is the shortest) includes the most details.

There is a grab-bag of emotions present in this story told by Mark. First, Jesus and his disciples, fresh off the boat following the storm that Jesus calmed, are still tired.  They came over to the far shore to get from people.  They get out of the boat and find more people.  The tortured possessed man shows up and the spirits within him plead with Jesus to leave them alone, for Jesus had already begun to cast them out of the man.  The demons fear Jesus, because they know who He is and they fear He will harm them. 

Jesus asks for their name and they basically reply that they are many (legion, which means 1000).  Realizing Jesus is going to rid the tortured man of them, they ask to be cast into the heard of pigs.  Surprisingly, Jesus allows it and the pigs are promptly destroyed.  Implied here is that there are farmers who now have just lost part of their livelihood.  They are upset and eventually most of the people in the region are upset because it might be their livelihoods that Jesus starts messing with next.  But before they are upset, they are in awe that the demons obey Jesus. 

Then, of course, we have the man who was exorcised of the demons that had made him suffer for so long.  He is grateful beyond words and wants to devote his life to following Jesus.  But Jesus redirects him to tell his own people about what God has done for him.  The man spends the rest of his life doing just that.  So in this story, we have exhaustion, fear, extreme suffering, anger, awe, gratitude, calling, rejection, and other emotions all mixed in. 

It seems that the emotions in the various people correspond to what they care about the most. The people of the region are impressed with the authority Jesus has over demons, but they are more worried about how Jesus’s compassionate action (healing the man of demon-possession) will affect them financially.  The demoniac is nothing more than a nuisance to them.  The supernatural authority displayed to them was lost on them because what they cared about was their financial bottom line.

The fear that gripped Legion speaks to the fact they know their tyranny over their poor host is coming to an end. 

The gratitude and devotion of the man delivered from Legion stems from the suffering and self-harm has been cast out. 

Jesus still threatens institutions and communities that care more about their bottom line than the suffering of real human beings around them. 

Jesus is still a terror to demonic forces that terrorize human beings for whom He has compassion.

Jesus is still the deliverer of those tortured by the darkness in their souls.  He still calls people out of the darkest shadows and makes them a witness to what the Lord can do. 

 

Questions:  How does this story hit your emotions.  Does that suggest anything about your own priorities?

 

Prayer:  Lord, show us our true allegiances.  Help us to see those who are suffering in the shadows for who you care.  Make us witnesses to what You have done for us.

 

Prayer Focus:  Pray for people who struggle with mental illness.

 

Song:  Run, Devil, Run – David Crowder

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=US1-R-R9lYQ

Matthew 10:17-33 - Living Out Loud

Daily Devo w/ Pastor Eric October 8, 2021

Living Out Loud

 

Matthew 10:17-33, NIV -  Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues.  On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles.  But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.  You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.  When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

“The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master.  It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!

“So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.  What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.  Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.  Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.

 

                Yesterday’s message about sheep and wolves began a section of Jesus’s teaching that is difficult to hear because he warns his disciples that following Him will have unpleasant and sometimes even tragic consequences.  It was especially true for his first twelve disciples – all but maybe a couple met untimely deaths because of their proclamation of Jesus.  What Jesus told them would happen did happen, they were arrested and called before rulers.  They were jailed, exiled, and beaten.  It is a testimony to how convinced they were that Jesus was the Messiah and to give their life and safety to His cause was the greatest honor of their life.   

                For us in America in the 21^st century, we marvel at the sacrifice of these disciples who preceded us by two thousand years and for the most part, we see the danger of that hey faced down as ancient history.  But it’s important for us to remember that it is STILL very dangerous to be a Christian in many places in the world today.  Christians in North Korea can be executed for possessing even a torn-out page of the Bible.  Every month, an average of 312 Christians are killed, 214 churches and Christian properties are destroyed, and 772 forms of violence (beatings, kidnappings, rape, arrest, etc.) are committed against Christians.  Though our country is not immune to Christian persecution, it is much more the exception than the rule.  But our safety should not make us blind that others still face the dangers about which Jesus warned. 

                What is particularly striking to me about so many of the stories of modern-day Christian martyrdoms is how bold these martyrs are in standing up for their faith in the face of such obvious danger.  They refuse to deny their faith even when doing so would save their lives.  They tell people about their faith who could readily (and often do) turn them into authorities.  New believers are “declared dead” by their families because of their decision to follow Jesus and yet, these brave new Christians cling to faith nonetheless.  I’d like to believe that I’d be as courageous and steadfast as these modern-day martyrs, but I’m not sure I would be given the same circumstances.  I’m certain I’m not alone in that.

                Today, as we feel the discomfort of Jesus’s warnings and remind ourselves that these warnings are still relevant in most of the 21^st century world,  I encourage us to think about steps we can take exhibit a more courageous faith.  Let’s be brave enough to question some of the actions we’ve not taken out of fear of being unpopular or losing some Facebook friends.  Jesus has called us to live out “unsafe” faith with the promise that He is with us and has our back.  Let’s answer that call.

 

Question:  Does the way that you live out your faith ever put you at odds with others?

 

Prayer:  Jesus, help us know deep in our heart how precious each day of our life here is and help us to use these days to live out bold faith.  Help us confront our fears with the assurance our lives are ultimately “hidden away with you.”  Amen.

 

Prayer Focus:  Pray for people worldwide who are facing violence and even death because they follow Jesus.

 

Song:  Live Out Loud - Steven Curtis Chapman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rWpsilHe7U