Mark

Comments on Mark

Mark 6 v.22-23
Mark tells about King Herod giving a party for all the big-wigs of his day. As a girl danced before all the men he became so excited, he made an absurd promise. In the excitement of the moment he was willing to give away half of his kingdom. This cost John his head.

Reminds me of times when in the excitement of the moment I have made promises I either could not keep or would not keep when the emotion died down. This can cost us our spiritual life and often may cause the spiritual death of someone else as well. Surely I am not alone here as I have witnessed this happening in others. In a high emotional charged situation many decisions have been made, promises stated, that became just so many words.

Personally I have learned I must weigh any and all life changing decisions very carefully before bursting forth with a promise in the heat of the moment. I would encourage anyone to take time to really think through any drastic change in their life they might feel impressed to do when emotions are running high. The old adage, “haste makes waste” would certainly ring true in Herod’s case.
Surely this is a lesson we all can learn.

v. 36-44
I can see someone coming to our house hungry and in need and our first thought is to give a McDonalds gift certificate and send them on their way. We have no time to lovingly prepare a meal from what we have in the cupboard. That is in essence what the disciples were telling Jesus to do however He had other plans. I wonder if that is the same when someone comes to us in need. Jesus has a plan and we don’t recognize it.

Can we see ourselves acting in the same manner in the spiritual sense? Someone comes to us hungry for the things of God and we right away send them to our church or to a pastor with our blessings (gift card).

Jesus may have another plan. He said to the disciples, “you feed them”. Does He say the same to us today? “You give them what you have”. You or I may have something no one else has. Jesus wants to give them that which He knows they need rather than what we think they need.

Perhaps the saddest of all we either don’t have anything to give or we don’t know how to prepare a spiritual feast with what we do have. We see the enormity of the situation and it overwhelms us into believing our little fish and loaf is far too insignificant to be of value.

I think we sometimes spend so much time trying to feed those who are not hungry we miss those who are. This may cause us to back off the next time we see a need. Our guide here should be the Holy Spirit within us. He can and will direct our actions if we allow it. There is a fine line between being overly passive doing nothing and overly aggressive getting involved in too much and ahead of the plan of the Father. Somewhere in between is the direction of the Holy One.

Mark 8:22
A blind man was brought to Jesus for healing. Jesus led him out of the village before he did the healing. Why did Jesus take him away from the village to heal him and then after he was healed told the man not to go back to the village but rather sent him home. Several pictures come to my mind here I will try to show one of them. This blind man needed his sight, Jesus was the sight giver, and the village people were not Jesus friendly. In fact by this time in Jesus ministry the traditionalist were becoming very irate with this unlearned preacher and His miracles.

When Jesus put his hands on the man the first time the man could see the villagers as they were, men like trees immovable, set in their ways, religious, unbelieving. In other words they were satisfied with their place in the community and church. The man’s eyes were opened to the extent of those around him in the village. But Jesus had something better for him, the second time his eyes were opened to the truth and he could see clearly.
Jesus told him not to go back to the village it was still full of trees but rather go home and let your family know what has happened to you. The trees are still immoveable, but the family will be able to listen and move toward the Healer the tree people will not.

Mark 9:33
More arguing going on between the disciples! Enough already! Listen to these disciples, they sound like us today. My spiritual gift is better than yours! My ministry is more important than yours! My relationship with the pastor is more intimate than yours! Jesus speaks to me personally! I would never act like you do! I teach Sunday school, what are you teaching? Sounds sort of sick when we spell it out but are we immune from these thoughts? I think not, but we can choose to dispel them and be different and learn how to live in peace with each other.

Mark 11:13
I have a couple of thoughts about the fig tree itself in the natural. One, the fig tree never puts forth a flower or blossom. As far as I know it is the only fruit bearing tree that has no beautiful and colorful flower. The fruit comes quietly with no noticeable decorations, no beauty, not a single petal of color announcing its arrival, just fruit. This says something to me.

I would ask the question: Which would we prefer in our every day living, a beautiful flowering tree with lots of leaves and blossoms and no fruit or a tree with no beauty and much fruit. Here again we can read in the Scriptures about Jesus being a man with no beauty, nothing about Him would suggest beauty, royalty or anything special that would draw men to Him, yet people were drawn. Was it His beauty or the Spirit within Him? I think the latter.
No matter how beautiful a person looks on the outside, how much spirituality they show or tell if there is not beauty inside then the attraction soon dies. The fruit is the attraction not the flower.

Mark 13:32
Ironically a couple of days ago something on TBN channel caught my attention as I was going by. I stopped to listen and low and behold a fellow was talking about the last days. He had made a study on end times and has a time table worked out to an approximate time of the end of the age. My opinion is this is ludicrous! Here is why!

I find it strange that anyone living now or then, (Jesus time) can have the answer to this age old question. I have lived a long time and have heard many, many stories or theories about this same thing. None have ever come true and is it any wonder?
Jesus own words here in Mark and in other places tells us, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father". And what if, as many believe including me, it has already happened? What a waste of time to dwell on a study of the coming of the end of an age that has already taken place or that no one, even the angels or the Son knows.

If knowing more or better than God the Father is a sure sign of pride, (same as Adam and Eve in the garden) and I believe it is, then how much pride is in anyone who claims to know or who can't give up trying to find out something Jesus does not know?
Jesus told His disciples to live like it is today! Who knows this may be your day to meet Him face-to-face. Then what?

Mark 14:3-9 tells of a woman who came to Jesus, and poured out a valuable jar of perfume on Him. She was rebuked by some of those present. Jesus told them to lay off, "She has done something good and will be remembered forever."

How many people do you know who have done something valuable for someone else that will be even remembered long enough for your children to hear about it. We have sports figures, entertainers, and CEOs always in the news today. Sad to say but most of the time, it is because they have cheated someone or used their profession for a dishonest gain of some sort. Seldom is anyone who doing good is in the limelight. I understand the media is often bias in their reporting but even then some people do make news that is heralded "something good".

As I was thinking about this two people from different professions came to mind readily. I am sure there are more but I don't want to take up too much space.

I think of Danny Thomas, a Jewish entertainer who founded the Children's Hospital and has spent much time and money to keep it going and has passed his vision on to his daughter. They do "something good".

Another person who is in the news often is ex-president Jimmie Carter. He perhaps was the least effective President during my life time, yet he has been in the headlines for doing "something good" a long time after he left office.

Sad to say we have too many other entertainers and ex-presidents who continue to take and take and give very little back, at least enough to make the news.

All that aside my question is what are you and I doing that will live on after we pass by. Will it be something good that will be remembered by at least a few people for a generation? Or are we so intent on doing for ourselves we miss out on the opportunities given us to do something good that will benefit others long after we have returned to dust?

Mark 15:30-31
The cry of the people who was witnessing the crucifixion of Jesus was; "save yourself--you saved others, save yourself".

A thought about this is how often I have come to a decision time that required me to save my self, (save face) or give myself up. As I pondered this last evening during a communion service I think how easy it is for me to save myself when faced with some issue especially where others are involved. When there is a choice to make I make it in my favor more times than I like to admit. Too often I stand with Peter when he was standing around the fire; I save my own self at the expense of others.

Jesus said, "When you eat the bread and drink the wine, do it in remembrance of me".That action was to give himself up for us. Isn't that what we are to remember when we take communion? He did that even though persons of His day were cruel, deceitful, self-serving, self-righteous, abusive, and unwilling to hear the message of truth He brought with Him.

If when I think of giving up myself, my feelings, my emotions etc. to someone who has been abusive, deceitful or lied about me or to me I become less than forgiving toward that person. I seldom even begin to remember what Jesus did on the cross for me. In essence I save myself.

I saw something recently that I had not seen before. I find the more I learn about my self, my inner self, my spiritual being---I find also there is such a need for Jesus in my life. Regardless what height I may attain spiritually I am still a long way from being all that Jesus desires for me. He was willing to die that I might gain that portion with Him, am I willing to die to myself so someone else might find life in Jesus?

This is my personal assignment for growth. I must answer that question honestly and forthright to Jesus and the Faith.