Today’s Reading: Matthew 16:21-28; Mark 8:22-26, 8:31-9:1; Luke 9:21-27; Psalm 147

When they arrived in Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to Jesus, and they begged him to touch him. Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then, spitting on the man’s eyes, he laid his hands on him and asked, “Can you see anything now?”

The man looked around, “Yes,” he said, “I see people, but I can’t see them very clearly. They look like trees walking around.”

Then Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes again, and his eyes were opened. His sight was completely restored, and he could see everything clearly. Jesus sent him away, saying, “Don’t go back into the village on your way home.” – Mark 8:22-26

Jesus led the blind man out of the village in order to heal him, but mostly to set up a much needed conversation with his disciples. Things were intensifying all around them and he wanted them to be aware of what was ahead.

SPEAKING PLAINLY

Jesus knew that the disciples’ understanding was blurry, just like the man’s vision. He had taken them from complete darkness to a fuzzy understanding. Now it was time to speak plainly. Now it was time for Jesus to reveal to them what was ahead.

Then Jesus began to tell them that the Son of Man must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead. As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things.

Jesus turned around and looked at his disciples, then reprimanded Peter. “Get away from me, Satan!” he said. “You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” – Mark 8:31-33

Peter’s intentions were good. He responded from a heart that loved Jesus and was willing to protect him from those who were plotting against him. But that kind of well-intended reaction was not going to help Jesus prepare for what was ahead, and it certainly was not going to help Peter. He needed to give up his own way and see the upcoming events from God’s point of view.

Perhaps this is where many of us struggle the most. Perhaps it is the submission of my own understanding that causes my faith to grow the most. I must trust the wisdom of a magnificent and caring God, even when the outcomes around me do not make sense.

GOD IS CALLING US TO GIVE UP OUR OWN WAY AND SUBMIT TO HIS.

Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels. I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Kingdom of God.” – Luke 9:23-27

My prayer for all of us is that God would reveal much to us today. I pray that God will help us to see beyond our limited, human point of view to His heavenly perspective. I pray for moments today when we are reminded of whom we serve and how powerful He is. No situation or circumstance is too big for Him.

How great is our Lord! His power is absolute!
His understanding is beyond comprehension! – Psalm 147:5

Heavenly Father, give us eyes to see beyond our human point of view and increase our understanding of how things look from YOUR perspective. Give us the strength to daily take up our cross and follow you; give us the courage to live out our faith unashamedly. We love you and we trust you today. Amen.

Today’s Reading: Mark 8:14-21, 27-30; Luke 9:18-20

SPEAKING FIGURATIVELY

But the disciples had forgotten to bring any food. They had only one loaf of bread with them in the boat. As they were crossing the lake, Jesus warned them, “Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod.” At this they began to argue with each other because they hadn’t brought any bread. – Mark 8:14-16

The disciples were struggling with distinguishing when Jesus was speaking to them in literal terms and when he was speaking figuratively. He often spoke to them in parables but they still had not figured out how to relate the words of Jesus to real life situations. They were missing the meaning of what Jesus was trying to teach them because they were thinking in human terms instead of spiritual concepts.

Jesus knew what they were saying, so he said, “Why are you arguing about having no bread? Don’t you know or understand even yet? Are your hearts too hard to take it in? ‘You have eyes—can’t you see? You have ears—can’t you hear?’ Don’t you remember anything at all? When I fed the 5,000 with five loaves of bread, how many baskets of leftovers did you pick up afterward?”

“Twelve,” they said.

“And when I fed the 4,000 with seven loaves, how many large baskets of leftovers did you pick up?”

“Seven,” they said.

“Don’t you understand yet?” he asked them. – Mark 8:17-21

SPEAKING LITERALLY

Jesus must have been so frustrated with their lack of understanding and their simplistic thinking, but he took the time to meet them where they were at and help bring them to where he needed them to be. He understood their confusion and patiently went back to square one with them:

Jesus and his disciples left Galilee and went up to the villages near Caesarea Philippi. As they were walking along, he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

“Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other prophets.”

Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

Peter replied, “You are the Messiah.”

But Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. – Mark 8:27-30

So often we need a reminder of who God is when we are going through a time of uncertainty or confusion. Our Heavenly Father will reveal Himself to us if we will simply look beyond our earthly understanding to see things from God’s perspective. Not only will He help us understand who He is, He will help us understand who He is calling us to be.

Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.” – Matthew 16:17-19

Peter knew who Jesus was because God had revealed it to him. He knew that Jesus was the promised Messiah, the Son of God Himself, and no one needed to tell him that. God had opened Peter’s eyes and given him understanding because He had a plan for Peter’s life and for the life of all of Jesus’ disciples — to build the church by spreading the truth about who Jesus is.

Lord, give us eyes to see who you are and give us a heart to pursue your call on our lives. Give us understanding and reveal the meaning of your word to us so that we can help others find their way to you. Amen.

Today’s Reading: Mark 7:24-37, 8:1-13

After Jesus left Galilee, he headed north. A woman came to the house where he was staying and fell at his feet. She begged Jesus to cast the demon out of her little girl. Can you hear the desperation in her voice? Can you imagine the sorrow she was experiencing every time the evil spirit took over her daughter? She did not just ask Jesus to heal her daughter; she begged him for it. She persisted in her request and Jesus responded.

Since she was a Gentile, born in Syrian Phoenicia, Jesus told her, “First I should feed the children—my own family, the Jews. It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.”

She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even the dogs under the table are allowed to eat the scraps from the children’s plates.”

“Good answer!” he said. “Now go home, for the demon has left your daughter.” And when she arrived home, she found her little girl lying quietly in bed, and the demon was gone. – Mark 7:26b-30

SHE BEGGED JESUS TO HEAL HER CHILD, AND HE DID.

Next Jesus went up to Sidon before heading back to the Sea of Galilee. A deaf man was brought to him, and the people begged Jesus to lay his hands on the man so that he could be healed from his speech impediment and hearing disability. Can you hear the concern of those who loved this man? They did not just ask Jesus to heal their friend; they begged him for it.

Jesus led him away from the crowd so they could be alone. He put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then, spitting on his own fingers, he touched the man’s tongue. Looking up to heaven, he sighed and said, “Ephphatha,” which means, “Be opened!” Instantly the man could hear perfectly, and his tongue was freed so he could speak plainly!

Jesus told the crowd not to tell anyone, but the more he told them not to, the more they spread the news. They were completely amazed and said again and again, “Everything he does is wonderful. He even makes the deaf to hear and gives speech to those who cannot speak.” – Mark 7:33-37

THEY BEGGED JESUS TO HEAL THEIR FRIEND, AND HE DID.

About this time another large crowd had gathered, and the people ran out of food again. Jesus called his disciples and told them, “I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will faint along the way. For some of them have come a long distance.” – Mark 8:1-3

Jesus saw the needs of the crowd and responded in compassion. You would think his disciples would know by now how this works, but they still marveled over how they were supposed to feed the crowd with the amount of food they had. They had seen Jesus do wonderful things, yet they forgot that everything he does is wonderful!

His disciples replied, “How are we supposed to find enough food to feed them out here in the wilderness?”

Jesus asked, “How much bread do you have?”

“Seven loaves,” they replied.

So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to his disciples, who distributed the bread to the crowd. A few small fish were found, too, so Jesus also blessed these and told the disciples to distribute them.

They ate as much as they wanted. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven large baskets of leftover food. There were about 4,000 men in the crowd that day, and Jesus sent them home after they had eaten. – Mark 8:4-9

THEY DIDN’T ASK JESUS TO FEED THEM, BUT HE DID.

Three stories of Jesus doing something miraculous, and there is one common thread. Do you see it? The little girl needed Jesus to do something amazing for her, but she did not ask. She was not in a place where she could. But she had a parent who responded to her struggle and fell on her knees in front of Jesus on behalf of her daughter. Her daughter was not healed after she asked Jesus once, so she persisted by continuing to beg Jesus.

The man with a speech impediment and hearing loss did not ask Jesus to heal him, but there were people in his life who valued him enough to take him to Jesus. When he could not speak the words to ask Jesus to heal him, his friends brought his needs to Jesus for him. Although he wanted his life to be different, it was his friends that had faith it could be if only he could meet Jesus.

The crowd had been following Jesus for three days. They were in the wilderness without food, with a long journey ahead of them. They did not voice their need to Jesus, yet he cared enough to recognize what they lacked and he provided generously for their needs.

EVERYTHING HE DOES IS WONDERFUL!

This is the Jesus of the Bible and this is the Jesus we serve today. We should keep praying for Jesus to heal our loved ones, because everything he does is wonderful! We should keep bringing our friends to Jesus, because everything he does is wonderful! We should keep following Jesus and trust that he will provide for our needs, because everything he does is wonderful!

They were completely amazed and said again and again, “Everything he does is wonderful. He even makes the deaf to hear and gives speech to those who cannot speak.” – Mark 7:37

Today’s Reading: Mark 7:1-23; Psalm 51

The religious leaders were curious about Jesus in one moment and then annoyed by him in the next. Their world had revolved around following rules and traditions, but Jesus’ focus was on the inward condition of the heart over the outward display of religious practices. They were busy displaying self-righteousness, instead of relying on God’s righteousness to be lived out in them. On this day, they asked Jesus why his disciples did not follow the tradition of performing the hand-washing ceremony before they ate.

NOT ABOUT CLEAN HANDS BUT CLEAN HEARTS

Jesus replied, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote,
‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship is a farce,
for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’
For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.”

Then he said, “You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition. For instance, Moses gave you this law from God: ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.’ But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’ In this way, you let them disregard their needy parents. And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition. And this is only one example among many others.” – Mark 7:6-13

Jesus was not opposed to the practice of washing your hands before you eat. In fact, it’s a really good idea to come to the dinner table with clean hands. What Jesus was emphasizing is that it is more important to come with clean hearts than clean hands; the focus is not on an outward display of religion, but inward evidence of relationship. We should not get caught up on our favorite best practices of religion yet willfully disregard the needs of those around us. We should not get so caught up in our service to the Church that we forget to serve our Christ.

NOT AN OUTWARD DISPLAY OF RELIGION, BUT INWARD EVIDENCE OF RELATIONSHIP

Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “All of you listen,” he said, “and try to understand. It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart.”

Then Jesus went into a house to get away from the crowd, and his disciples asked him what he meant by the parable he had just used. “Don’t you understand either?” he asked. “Can’t you see that the food you put into your body cannot defile you? Food doesn’t go into your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.” (By saying this, he declared that every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes.)

And then he added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.” – Mark 7:14-23

CLEAN HANDS ARE EASIER THAN CLEAN HEARTS.

I think one of the reasons we try to clean up our outward performance is because we know the fickleness of our hearts. But if God looks at my heart, I’m doomed. To try to purify my own heart and thoughts is impossible. My hands may look clean on the outside, but I look down and see the guilt of all my hands have done. How can a holy God accept me? I am overwhelmed with shame, for it is impossible to get the stains off my hands and I have failed to tame the desires of my heart.

Oh but we serve a generous God — a God of mercy and compassion. He does not require us to come to him as perfect, sinless servants. No, God’s love for us is so amazing that He is the One who performs the transformation within us. When we surrender our hearts and hands to Him, His Spirit moves in and begins to work in us. Day by day, we begin to see a difference in what we desire because the Spirit is aligning our hearts with God’s. He is removing the stain of our sins and cleansing us with His righteousness. Together let’s pray this prayer from Psalm 51:

Have mercy on me, O God,
because of your unfailing love.
Because of your great compassion,
blot out the stain of my sins.
Wash me clean from my guilt.
Purify me from my sin.
For I recognize my rebellion;
it haunts me day and night.
Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;
I have done what is evil in your sight.
You will be proved right in what you say,
and your judgment against me is just.
For I was born a sinner—
yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.
But you desire honesty from the womb,
teaching me wisdom even there.
Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Oh, give me back my joy again;
you have broken me—
now let me rejoice.
Don’t keep looking at my sins.
Remove the stain of my guilt.
Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a loyal spirit within me.
Do not banish me from your presence,
and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. – Psalm 51:1-11

Today’s Reading: John 6:22-59

“Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can you do?” – John 6:30

What a ridiculous comment for the crowd to make just after Jesus had fed the 5000 with only five barley loaves and two fish. Jesus had provided for their physical needs by healing their sick, and by feeding them in a similar way to how God had provided manna from heaven for their ancestors. But apparently healing the sick and feeding 5000 people with a child’s sack lunch was not enough.

THEY WANTED MORE.

They wanted more and so do we. How often does God provide over and over again for us, yet we sit back and say we have never experienced a miracle or seen God move in a mighty way. God provides for our needs yet we desire more. We look at what others have around us and see what we do not have, rather than focusing on what God has so generously given us.

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” – John 6:35

Jesus warned them not to get caught up in the perishable things this world has to offer (the things that do not last), but spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you (John 6:27). But witnessing miraculous signs was not enough for this crowd, they wanted the ability to perform these miracles themselves; they wanted power and glory (John 6:28-29).

At times our focus is on the desire for God to do something great and mighty through us; we want to do something tangible for others to see. But God’s response to us may be the same as it was to the crowd – to first seek Him, consume Him, believe in Him and fully experience life through Him.

COME AND EXPERIENCE MORE.

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.” – John 6:47-51

“I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me. I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live forever.” – John 6:53-58

GOD WANTS TO GIVE US MORE.

God is saying – I can answer your prayers and provide for your needs here on earth, I am capable of that. I can once again show you my generosity and you can experience the miracle of my provision, but I want to provide you with so much more than what you are asking for. I can heal you of your disease, but you will still die eventually. I am offering you something so much greater; I am offering you eternal life!

Perhaps the miracle is not in the provision but in the satisfaction. We know that God is able to provide – the moment of surprise is when we rest in His care, trusting and believing in Him whether or not He provides as we have asked. The miracle is in our satisfaction with what God has done and will do according to His will. Consume the Bread of Life and you will experience the miracle of satisfaction.

At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?”

Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.” – John 6:68-69

ARE WE SATISFIED WITH WHO JESUS IS?

Some would not allow themselves to be satisfied with who Jesus was and what Jesus asked of them. For the disciples, Jesus was enough. They believed that he truly was the bread of life and they were determined to follow Him in pursuit of the answers instead of walking away when they didn’t fully understand. Jesus was enough.

So what about us? Will we be satisfied with all Jesus has to offer us or will we turn away and desert Jesus? Will we be satisfied with who Jesus is and who He is calling the church to be? What miracle will God perform in our hearts today? Let’s choose to rest in God’s provision and find satisfaction with who He is and what He wants to do in our lives.

Today’s Reading: Mark 6:30-56; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-21

The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat. – Mark 6:30-31

Jesus had just learned of the death of John the Baptist and his disciples had just returned from the villages he had sent them to in groups of two. He needed time away from the crowd to grieve and to reconnect with his team. They were all in need of some food and some quiet time.

But the crowd of people who had come to see Jesus saw him get in the boat with his disciples. They ran along the shore, hopeful to be on the bank where he and his disciples would eventually land. Jesus had compassion on them because he saw they were like sheep without a shepherd. When he stepped onto the shore, he began healing those who were sick.

By now it was getting late, and everyone was hungry, including the crowd. They were quite a distance from the villages, so the disciples encouraged Jesus to send the crowds away so that they could begin their walk back to where they could buy food — This is your chance, Jesus! It’s getting late and the crowd is getting hungry. This is the perfect opportunity for us to lose this crowd and have some alone time.

But Jesus said, “You feed them.”
“But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. “Or are you expecting us to go and buy enough food for this whole crowd?” For there were about 5,000 men there.
Jesus replied, “Tell them to sit down in groups of about fifty each.” So the people all sat down. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread and fish to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers! – Luke 9:13-17

Instead of sending the people away, Jesus invited them to sit down and allow him to supply their needs. He broke bread and they ate as much as they wanted. The great love of our Savior was displayed that day. At a time when both tradition and human reasoning gave him permission to pull inward and enter a time of grieving, Jesus had compassion on others and thought more of their needs than his own. What a great example for us today. But now that the needs of the crowds had been met, Jesus set another great example for us — he separated himself from the people in order to spend some time alone with his Father.

Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and head across the lake to Bethsaida, while he sent the people home. After telling everyone good-bye, he went up into the hills by himself to pray.

Late that night, the disciples were in their boat in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land. He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. He intended to go past them, but when they saw him walking on the water, they cried out in terror, thinking he was a ghost. They were all terrified when they saw him.

But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage! I am here!” – Mark 6:45-50

Jesus took time to be alone with God but did not turn away from the needs of others. I strongly believe in taking time to grieve; I strongly believe in spending time alone in God’s presence. God calls us to this. But He also calls us to walk away from that time filled with Him in such a way that we are ready to care more about others than we do about ourselves. This is not always easy to do but the response of Jesus to the needs of those around him sets a great example for us.

Then Peter called out to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”
“Yes, come,” Jesus said.
So Peter went over to the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.
Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him, “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” – Matthew 14:22-31

Peter had the faith he needed to step out of the boat and begin walking on the water towards Jesus, but his struggle began when he took his eyes off of Jesus. When we are surrounded by the winds and waves, our focus on the power of Jesus is what keeps us from being overwhelmed by doubt and fear.

Lord, thank you for the compassion you daily show your people. You are a God who supplies our needs and meets us at our time of crisis with the words, “Don’t be afraid. Take courage. I am here!” Only you know what lies before us this week. As we fill ourselves with Your presence, please go with us. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear the needs of others around us. May we focus on you and in doing so see others, rather than focusing on our own needs. In your power, may we experience the kind of faith that has us walking on water – believing that you will supply our needs so that we can turn our eyes off our own situation and see the opportunities around us. Amen.

After they had crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret. They brought the boat to shore and climbed out. The people recognized Jesus at once, and they ran throughout the whole area, carrying sick people on mats to wherever they heard he was. Wherever he went—in villages, cities, or the countryside—they brought the sick out to the marketplaces. They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed. – Mark 6:53-56

Today’s Reading: Mark 6:7-29; Luke 7:18-35, 9:1-9

As Jesus traveled from village to village, his twelve disciples stayed by his side, but today was different. Jesus gathered his disciples together and sent them out to various places in groups of two. He gave them the authority to cast out demons and heal the sick by anointing them with olive oil. The disciples took nothing with them except the clothes on their back and a walking stick, and Jesus gave them these instructions:

“Wherever you go,” he said, “stay in the same house until you leave town. But if any place refuses to welcome you or listen to you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.” – Mark 6:10-11

THIS WAS THEIR GOD-GIVEN PURPOSE AND THEY CHOSE TO WALK IN IT.

When John the Baptist criticized the ruler of Galilee for marrying his brother’s wife, Herod Antipas threw him into prison. While in prison, John heard about all that Jesus was preaching and doing. He sent his disciples to Jesus to confirm that he was the promised Messiah.

Then he told John’s disciples, “Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard—the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” And he added, “God blesses those who do not fall away because of me.” – Luke 7:22-23

Jesus then turned to the crowd and affirmed the ministry of John the Baptist, clarifying that he was the one the scriptures had referred to as the messenger sent ahead of the Messiah to prepare the way for him. And then Jesus made this powerful statement: “I tell you, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of God is greater than he is!” (Luke 7:28).

Because of John’s preaching, the Kingdom of God was advancing. This was the time all the prophets had been looking forward to; this was the time that the law of Moses had prophesied about. John had fulfilled his God-given purpose. His wisdom was made obvious by the way he lived his life and by the results of his ministry.

“But wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it.” – Luke 7:35

THIS WAS JOHN’S GOD-GIVEN PURPOSE AND HE CHOSE TO ACCEPT IT.

When they heard this, all the people — even the tax collectors — agreed that God’s way was right, for they had been baptized by John. But the Pharisees and experts in religious law rejected God’s plan for them, for they had refused John’s baptism. — Luke 7:29-30

Herod Antipas also rejected God’s plan and the ministry of John the Baptist. He was so angry with John that it was not enough to simply have him imprisoned, he wanted to kill him. But Herod knew that killing John the Baptist would start a riot because the people believed him to be a prophet, so he kept him imprisoned.

At Herod’s birthday party, his niece danced for him (the daughter of his brother Philip, whose wife Herod had married). Her dance pleased Herod and his guests, so he offered her a gift of her choosing. Her mother, Herodias, took this opportunity to seek revenge on the prophet who had spoken so boldly against her marriage to Herod. No one was more surprised than Herod when the girl came back and demanded the head of John the Baptist be brought on a tray right then for all to see. Everyone at the party had heard his promise to the girl, and everyone was watching to see his response. Out of pride, Herod granted her wish and John the Baptist was beheaded that very night.

When Jesus heard the heartbreaking news of John’s death, he got in a boat and sailed to a remote area to be alone (Matthew 14:13). Can you imagine how Jesus must have felt when he heard of the death of his cousin? The man whose purpose in life was to prepare the way for him had just been killed in a brutal and dishonoring way. Jesus, feeling the same emotions any of us would have felt, retreated to an area where he could grieve alone. He had spent so many days reaching out to others and taking care of the needs of many, but now it was time for him to take care of his own needs. Or was it?

But the crowds heard where he was headed and followed on foot from many towns. Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. – Matthew 14:13b-14

THIS WAS JESUS’ GOD-GIVEN PURPOSE AND HE EMBRACED IT WITH COMPASSION.

Having more compassion for others than he had love for himself, Jesus reached out to others in response to their reaching out to him. This is who Jesus was and this is who Jesus is today. When we reach out to him, he responds to us. When we faithfully fulfill the purpose we are given, he encourages us. When someone seeks to hurt or destroy us because of our faithfulness, he grieves for us. Jesus responds to our needs with compassion, which is exactly what he did next…

Today’s Reading: Mark 1:35-39, 10:17-31

HOW IS JESUS AFFECTING YOUR LIFE? WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO HIM?

Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray. Later Simon and the others went out to find him. When they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you.” But Jesus replied, “We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too. That is why I came.” So he traveled throughout the region of Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and casting out demons. – Mark 1:35-39

Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon-possessed or epileptic or paralyzed – he healed them all. Large crowds followed him wherever he went – people from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, from all over Judea, and from east of the Jordan River. – Matthew 4:23-25

Large crowds of people were so taken by Jesus that they were willing to follow him wherever he went! Now that’s passion! Most of us experience this same passion when Jesus radically changes our lives. We fall SO in love with this Jesus — who would heal us or love us or die for us — we would do whatever he asks us to do. We would go wherever he leads us. We give whatever he stirs our hearts to give in order to fund the mission of spreading God’s word. Consider this passage we read last week:

Soon afterward Jesus began a tour of the nearby towns and villages, preaching and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom of God. He took his twelve disciples with him, along with some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases. Among them were Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons; Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Jerod’s business manager; Susanna; and many others who were contributing from their own resources to support Jesus and his disciples. – Luke 8:1-3

They were so excited about what Jesus was doing that they were willing to LIVE SACRIFICIALLY and GIVE SACRIFICIALLY. As they traveled with Jesus, they heard the same message over and over again and it was changing their lives – the message of the Good News about the Kingdom of God.

HOW IS JESUS AFFECTING YOUR LIFE? WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO HIM?

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field. Again, the King of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!” – Matthew 13:44-46

To want something so much that I am willing to lose all else that I might gain that one thing.
To value something so much that I am willing to forfeit everything in the pursuit of it.
To care about something so much that nothing else matters except that one thing.
This is what God is calling us to.

Devoted.

Sold-out.

Passionate.

Do I value the Kingdom of Heaven more than my own earthly kingdom?
Do I value heavenly treasures more than earthly treasures?
Do I value spiritual rewards more than physical rewards?
Do I value my relationship with God above all other relationships?

HOW IS JESUS AFFECTING YOUR LIFE? WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO HIM?

A man ran up to Jesus, respectfully knelt before him, and asked him what he could do to inherit eternal life. He had obeyed all the commandments since he was young. He was what the world would define as a good man, although only God is truly good. Out of a genuine love for this man, Jesus told him to sell all of his possessions, give the money to the poor, and then follow him. Only then would he have treasure in heaven. The man’s face fell and he walked away sad, for he had too much of what this world has to offer in order to fully embrace all that Jesus was offering him.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!” This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard to enter the Kingdom of God. In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”

The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.

Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”

Then Peter began to speak up. “We’ve given up everything to follow you,” he said.

“Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life. But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.” – Mark 10:23-31

Holy Spirit, move in me today. I long to hear from you. Empty me of all that is sin and all that is self and fill me with you. Change me so that I value what you value; change me so that I cannot help but respond to the effect you are having on my life. Help me to let go of anything in this world that I am holding onto too tightly. Amen.