Posts that reference the Gospel of Mark

Struggling to Believe

Sometimes when we follow Jesus, He asks very difficult things of us. Take the apostle Paul for example. In our comfortable 21st century existence, the kind of hardships Paul endured are less than appealing. Even if we don’t face physical persecution, emotional upheavals can leave us in a place where we find ourselves struggling to believe God and His promises.

The fact is we are often unaware how much our life experience colors our understanding of God and His word. If we are carrying emotional scars from a difficult past, it may be next to impossible to believe that God is loving, that He welcomes us, that He delights in us, that He will never leave us or forsake us or any of the other amazing promises He makes. We may grudgingly concede that the promises are true for others, but we balk when it comes to believing they are for us.

We can’t undo the past, or erase those scars. So how do we embrace those truths?

Admit there is a struggle.

One of my favorite statements in Scripture addresses this. It’s in Mark 9:24. A desperate father came to Christ seeking healing for his son. You can almost hear the anguish in his voice when he says “Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief!” He doesn’t fake. He doesn’t give the Sunday school answer. He is very humble and very genuine.

Realize the struggle is not a deal-breaker.

In fact, it’s common. In Scripture, we read about people like John the Baptist, Job, Paul, Moses, Elijah, Sarah, and so many others who had trouble grasping God’s promises. After Jesus’s resurrection, Peter went back to fishing. Maybe he thought he’d blown his chance to do great things because he failed so miserably in his denials. Maybe he thought something like “Jesus, I believe you can save me. I’m just not sure you can use me.” One word, Peter. Pentecost.

Finally, understand it takes time.

For something this critical, God won’t stand for any easy fixes. He is willing to take the time to ensure we “get” it. We will be forever changed afterward. In Scripture, folks came away from their struggles with new names, new callings, and on one occasion even a new limp, but all of those signified a fresh intimacy with Yahweh.

What have you struggled to believe? How did you work (or how are you working) to grab hold of it?

Don’t You Care?

By Paula

But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Mark 4:38

You know the story. Jesus and His disciples embark on a quick routine trip across the Sea of Galilee, but then a storm rises. Enough of a storm that the veteran fisherman were concerned that they might lose the boat and even their lives.

But I think the story is striking for another reason. I believe it taps into deep unspoken fears – fears that have nothing to do with drowning.

Fear #1 – We are on our own. When the storms come if we make it through it will be because of our own furious efforts.

Fear #2 – Jesus is unaware or unmoved by what we’re going through. Here we are struggling, fighting, perishing, and Jesus is absent.

Distilling those fears even further, the questions become, do I matter? Do You really love me? Which is the real Jesus? The one who says He loved me enough to die for me or the one who sleeps while I’m drowning?

This is the middle of the story though.

We have to examine the beginning and end of the story. In verse 35, Jesus says, Let’s cross over to the other side. The safe passage was guaranteed. He said they were going to the other side. The first thing to remember is Jesus’s purposes are going to be accomplished.

At the end of the story in verse 39, He says, “Peace, be still.” The wild chaotic elements of nature obey like a trained puppy. The other thing to remember is that He is in charge and has the power to back that up.

Then Jesus responds with His own question. “How is it that you have no faith?”

Because we’re afraid. We are more focused on what’s inside and around us than the One who is with us. We forget who made the plans and who has the power.

And for the record, yes. He cares.

He guaranteed they would reach the other side of the lake because He cared. He calmed the wind and waves because He cared. Most importantly, He got in the boat with them because He cared.

Signs of Hardness: Failing to Respond

By Paula Wiseman

In the Old Testament and New Testament, we are warned not to harden our hearts. In our current series, we’ve begun considering some cautionary signposts that mean we are on the road to a heart hardened toward God. So far, we’ve discussed disobedience, wealth, discontent, rejecting correction, and refusing to listen. We’ll wrap up with a consideration of a similar tactic, failing to respond.

What does it mean to fail to respond?

Simply put, when we are presented with clear, obvious truth and instruction and we know we should act but don’t, we are guilty of failing to respond. We know stories of people who were under conviction, and they knew it, but instead of yielding to the Holy Spirit, they steeled themselves and didn’t respond. Eventually the conviction dissipated, and God left them with the consequences of their decision.

In a less drastic case, I’ve heard men who were sure God was calling them to ministry and they refused the call. They were left with a lifetime of regret and questions of what might have been.

In Matthew 13:13, Jesus explained to His disciples why He taught in parables. He said, “Seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.” Because the crowds refused to acknowledge Jesus’s true identity, choosing instead to see Him simply as a healer, a teacher, a foil for the self-righteous Pharisees, their hearts were hardened to the truth. The disciples, on the other hand, answered Jesus’s call and enjoyed an ever-deepening relationship with Christ.

Our indifference also damages our testimony. When nonbelievers see that our faith can easily be discarded, why would they want to embrace it?

How does it produce hardness?

Failing to respond trains us to ignore the voice of God. The only way we can do that is to harden our hearts against it. God made us for a relationship with Him. We damage the fellowship we enjoy when fail to respond. We show that God’s instructions are not compelling, that His kingdom is not a priority and that His favor is not valued.

How do you soften a heart hardened by a failure to respond?

Submission to the Spirit

Paul issued a quick admonition to the Thessalonians. Do not quench the Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 5:19). The Holy Spirit is the very presence of God in our lives, a gift to guide us and keep us on track. He is tasked with conforming us to Christ’s image. Don’t ignore or interfere with what He is doing with us.

The writer of Hebrews in chapter 3 quotes Psalm 95:7-8.

Today, if you will hear His voice: “Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, As in the day of trial in the wilderness.”

The hardheartedness is rooted in rebellion rather that submission. It always is.

Faith

Jesus had a rebuke for His disciples after His resurrection.

Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.
Mark 16:14

Faith is Christ, belief in His word is the antidote for a hard heart.

As we wrap up, all hardness of the heart is the outworking of sin in our lives. The writer of Hebrews explains:

[B]ut exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:13

We buy into lies and distance ourselves from God. We’ve been doing it since Eden.

An Invitation to Commitment

By Paula Wiseman

In Mark’s gospel, Jesus invites us to commitment

And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Mark 8:34

The invitation was issued to the crowd.
The casual followers. Those on the fringes.
Those with a passing interest in Him and His teaching.

But also to His disciples.
To His chosen, close followers.
To those who were assumed to be committed already.

Come after Me.
Follow Me.
That the invitation Jesus issues.

But there are conditions.
Deny self.
Take up your cross (die to self).
Follow Jesus (words, example).

It is an invitation to commitment.
Stop hanging around on the edge of discipleship.
Stop being wishy-washy.

Jesus was all-in.
His only goal, mission, purpose
Was to accomplish the Father’s will.

If we cannot say the same,
Are we followers?
Is the invitation for us?

That Friday: The Centurion

By Paula Wiseman

We are very familiar with the events of Good Friday. We know the people, the details, the horror and the injustice of it all as well as the love and strength of Christ. It is the key to our salvation and redemption. But in the background of the events are several people, minor characters in the unfolding drama. However, when we give them a closer look, we may find they are more familiar, more recognizable than we realized. We’ve seen how Malchus prepared us to engage with those who see Jesus as a threat. Pilate’s wife represented the many who depend on their superstitious ideas about Jesus rather than the truth. Some of us are more like Simon. Others may be more like one in the crowd. But sometimes you can find someone like the centurion.

Roman centurions were commanders set over a centuria of 100 soldiers. (Captains in the US army are over a company which is roughly around the same number of soldiers) Six centuria made a cohort and ten cohorts made a legion. During the Passover season, the entire detachment headquartered at Caesaria likely accompanied Pilate to Jerusalem. Some of them oversaw the arrest of Jesus, and they certainly participated in the mocking and brutal scourging. One centurion in particular drew execution detail that morning.

The centurion would have been in the ranks for 10 or 15 years before his promotion, which came either after a vote of his fellow soldiers or by special appointment. Either way, he was seasoned, experienced and loyal to Rome. He would have had no patience and certainly no mercy for the Jews he was to execute. Not even for the one called Jesus.

Starting out, it was a typical crucifixion. Lots of groaning, suffering, mocking from the crowd. But then it got dark at midday. And the prisoner on the center cross extended forgiveness to his executioners. He promised paradise to one of the other criminals. He arranged for his mother to be cared for. Not typical criminal behavior.

The man seemed in control of his faculties. In fact, his suffering seemed to be mental, even spiritual, as much as it was physical. After three hours of the weirdest darkness, the man managed to shout, “It is finished!” Shout, mind you. Most crucified prisoners could barely breathe. They couldn’t muster enough strength to shout. Then after a shout, the earth quaked violently.

When the centurion, who was standing opposite him, saw the way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
Mark 15:39

The centurion came to the only logical conclusion.

The centurion wasn’t swayed by emotion, or by a persuasive argument. He objectively observed what happened with Jesus. He had no doubt seen noble deaths as well as the ignoble. Jesus was unlike any man he had ever encountered.

We may meet some this Easter who examine the claims Christ made, who evaluate the circumstances and manner of His death and agree that Jesus is exactly who He claimed to be–the unique Son of God. Hallelujah!

When this happens, we need to be ready to help them take the next step, that is, understanding that Jesus came to provide the salvation and reconciliation with God we so desperately needed. Access to that salvation is available to all who accept it by faith in the finished work of the cross.

Whether the centurion was making a statement of saving faith or not we can’t really say from one sentence. Romans believed the gods could take on human form, so he may have meant something like that. However, I think Mark provides some key clues.

The gospel of Mark was written with a Roman audience in mind. Gentiles figure prominently throughout his writing. Just like we saw with Simon, Mark was showing his readers that Gentiles, even Romans, were welcome in the kingdom of God. The body of Christ wasn’t just a Jewish thing. The centurion’s bold statement would have been an encouragement to the Roman believers, especially as persecution intensified.

The centurion gives us encouragement as well. Even those who seem the most hardened, unlikely to respond, and difficult to reach with gospel are not beyond the outstretched hand of God. In addition, God demonstrates His great power to work drawing people to Him even in the worst possible circumstances.

That Friday: One in the Crowd

By Paula Wiseman

Jesus’s time on the cross is nearing its end. The land is supernaturally dark and has been for a couple of hours. Four Roman soldiers stand guard along with their centurion. A small crowd, including religious leaders and others who called for Jesus’s death watched the execution. Their mocking insults are shattered by Jesus’s anguished cry, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?” (Matthew 27:46). In Aramaic, the word for My God sounds a lot like the name Elijah. During the Passover, everyone looked for Elijah. So that became the new line of mocking. “This man is calling for Elijah.” (Matthew 27:47). And one in the crowd was prompted to action.

Immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink.
Matthew 27:48

We don’t have any other details so the action can be interpreted several ways.

The one in the crowd was compassionate.

Even though he didn’t believe that Jesus was the Messiah, he was clearly moved by His suffering. John 19:28 records Jesus saying that He was thirsty. He may have been the only one in the rowdy crowd who felt any pity for Jesus. So he ran for a drink to honor the dying man’s request.

This Easter season you may meet people who are sympathetic to Jesus. They believe He was good, that He died a noble, selfless death ending a tragic story, but not unlike others they have heard about.

We can’t dismiss Jesus as just a good man. He Himself claimed to be Son of God. In fact, the reason the Pharisees sought to eliminate Him was He claimed equality with God. We must gently correct and inform those who would reduce Jesus to just a good man.

The one in the crowd was callous.

He had mocked Jesus along with others for hours, unmoved by the darkness or the pain Jesus was in. Now after the latest outburst, he’d had enough. He had to shut the guy up. Maybe the sour wine was enough to dull the senses.

Some who come to Easter would undoubtedly prefer to shut down all talk of sin, salvation, redemption and resurrection. They’ve stood back with their friends and made fun of the entire idea of religion for years and this year is no different.

Maybe they are difficult or even impossible to engage. You may have to respect their wishes not to discuss Christ. If so, the important thing then is not to let the callous rob you of your joy or dampen the thrill that comes from knowing the risen Christ.

The one in the crowd was challenging.

Mark’s gospel singles out the man saying, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down” (Mark 15:36). The other gospels have others in the crowd saying those words. It was a demand for yet more proof.

The thing is, you can’t ever offer enough proof. The Pharisees made these same types of challenges. “Show us a sign and we’ll believe” (Matthew 12:38, 16:1). Signs strengthen existing faith, rather awakening faith. The proof is there, but darkened hearts reject it.

Jesus never tried to prove His statements. The Son of God does not answer to man’s demands. Most challengers aren’t truly interested in proof. They are more concerned about making noise. A sincere reading of John’s gospel leaves no other conclusion than Jesus is exactly who He says He is. Readers can still ignore that conclusion if they choose.

With so little to go on, it’s hard to say which one fits the one in the crowd who ran for the sponge. He may also fit a profile not listed here. But then, the people you encounter this Easter season may also be hard to box in. They may be a combination of all these profiles. No matter what, approach them with love and respect and follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Next week, we’ll finish up with one witness there that Friday who leaves few questions about his take on the crucifixion of Jesus.

Struggling to Believe

Admit there is a struggle.

Realize the struggle is not a deal-breaker.

Finally, understand it takes time.

Don’t You Care?

This is the middle of the story though.

And for the record, yes. He cares.

Signs of Hardness: Failing to Respond

What does it mean to fail to respond?

How does it produce hardness?

How do you soften a heart hardened by a failure to respond?

An Invitation to Commitment

That Friday: The Centurion

The centurion came to the only logical conclusion.

That Friday: One in the Crowd

The one in the crowd was compassionate.

The one in the crowd was callous.

The one in the crowd was challenging.

Encounters Series

Covenant of Trust Series

Foundations Series