Tag: Mark

Look of Love

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And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 

Mark 10:21 (ESV)

This verse highlights a portion of a conversation that Jesus had with a rich young ruler in the Book of Mark. This particular story is of interest to me because it shows this man who seemingly had everything in this world that people desire. He was wealthy. He had influence and authority. He was diligent in his religious observations. On the outside, he was the picture of having it all together. Yet, he was missing something and he knew it. He knew that even with all these blessings his eternal salvation was not assured. So when Jesus came to his community, he was quick to come and kneel before him and ask him the most important question there is in life, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” This rich young man and his quest looks awful similar to someone I know very well… me. And I dare say he looks like all of us.

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Crowd Pleasing

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So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

Mark 15:15 (ESV)

“Wishing to satisfy the crowd.” O how this phrase should strike me to the core of my being and pierce my soul. It is a phrase that should cause me to tremble as I am reminded of the many times throughout my life that it has been proven true in my words and actions. There have been immeasurable times throughout my life where I have wished to satisfy the crowd. Times where I have “released Barabbas” and “scourged Jesus”. Times when I have desired to stop swimming upstream against the flow of this world and to just be carried along by the current of the crowd. Times when it was easier and safer to be seen as “just like everyone else”. I easily remember moments when I too was just like Pilate in this passage. Moments where I knew the right thing to do or the right words to say, yet I chose to harden my heart to the truth and go along with the voices of the crowd for the sake of comfort and ease. Yes, this passage strikes my heart as it points to my own hypocrisy and hardness of heart.

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Aroma of Sacrifice

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And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. 

Mark 14:3 (ESV)

What exactly does it mean to make a sacrifice to the Lord in the context of my life living in this modern world some 2,000 years after this passage in the Gospel of Mark was written? It has always been an interesting question for me to think about and ponder over the years. There are a lot of examples like this passage throughout the Bible, but there seems to be a single thread woven through all of them. That thread is the heart’s motivation and purpose behind the sacrifice being presented to Jesus. The focus seems to be less on what is given and the value of this sacrifice with an emphasis placed on bringing pure worship to our God. This is true in this passage as well. The people in the room wanted to make this about the costliness of the perfume and how many people could have been helped by selling it and distributing the funds. Jesus understands her motivation and confirms that this sacrifice of hers was to honor Him. It was such a beautiful sacrifice that her story is still being told and will continue to be told. 

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Beyond Purchase

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For what can a man give in return for his soul?

Mark 8:37 (ESV)

The questions Jesus asks throughout the gospels deeply penetrate the center and core of our being. His questions, even the seemingly simple ones, like the one in Mark 8:37 are meant to give us pause and cause us to truly evaluate what we are hearing him say. This question relates to verse 34, where Jesus laid out the parameters of what it costs to follow him. To be his disciple we must deny ourselves and take up our cross. As Jesus further explains what this means, he presents this question for his hearers and us to consider. “What can man give in return for his soul?” It is a profound question that I should regularly engage with at a heart level. It calls me to examine my heart and review my actions each day to see where I am lost in idolatry. I need to give deep consideration to where I am placing anything above Jesus.

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And Peter

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Journal Entry // March 5, 2022

But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”

Mark 16:7 ESV

As I read and remember the moments of Jesus final hours, my mind is drawn to Peter. I can identify with Peter in these final hours of Jesus’ life. Beginning with his great statement of faith proclaiming Jesus to be the Christ. A statement that Jesus honors him for in front of all the disciples. A statement that could only come from the revelation of God in Peter’s heart. To the next moment opposing the crucifixion of Christ and being compared to Satan. To abandoning Jesus during his arrest, the very moment he needed his friend. To denying Jesus three times, claiming that he did not even know the man. This is me. This is my heart. I feel those same highs and lows in my journey.

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Good Intentions

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Journal Entry // March 3, 2022

But he said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same.

Mark 14:31 ESV

The path to failure is paved with good intentions – my good intentions. For I am truly much like the disciples and their emphatic declaration of fidelity and solidarity. My mouth speaks utterances of faith and loyalty that my heart fails to fulfill. There is no lack of good intention in this statement by the disciples and I believe they truly meant what they said. In the moment, when there was no inclination that adversity would arise, the disciples were truly willing to die for Jesus. But when the crowd came to take him and the mob was angry and Jesus did not fight against them, the hearts of the disciples melted away in fear. And so they fled.

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Poverty Giving

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Journal Entry // February 27, 2022

For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

Mark 12:44 ESV

Faith and trust in the Lord our God can be so easily measured and quantified if we take the time to really examine our actions working through the motives and intentions of our hearts. Granted, I don’t really enjoy this process of examination that looks beyond the veneer of immediate actions and delves into the motives behind those actions. These seemingly minor actions that I perform day in and day out are the gauges on the dashboard of my soul. Warning lights to indicate there is a deep heart issue that needs to be addressed. All wrapped up in this question, “Who am I trusting?”

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Unbelieving Belief

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Journal Entry // February 26, 2022

Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

Mark 9:24 ESV

I really love the sections of the gospels that give us a glimpse at the many varied encounters that people had with Jesus. These little snippets of conversations that provide so much insight into the heart of Jesus and reflect the attitude and tendencies of my own heart. The honest humble response of this man is truly amazing. It comes across in a quick read through as a bit nonsensical and so I tend to just take it in without much questioning. But really this tiny phrase speaks volumes about the state of my heart as I live this life of faith.

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Taking Offense

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Journal Entry // February 19, 2022

Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

Mark 6:3 ESV

And they took offense at him… This is a painful statement to read about the heart attitude of the people of Nazareth that watched Jesus grow up into adulthood. They had a well defined notion of who Jesus was based on their experience in life of watching him grow and develop into a man. Jesus was already in a box of their own choosing and they would not allow him to change boxes or better yet let him destroy that box completely. He is the carpenter, not this miracle worker claiming to be the Son of God. So they took offense at him. They knew without a doubt the humanity of Jesus and they had no room in their heart for his divinity.

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Grieved to Anger

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Journal Entry // February 15, 2022

And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.

Mark 3:5 ESV

I really enjoy these passages where we are shown the emotions of Jesus. These snippets of his life that reveal his heart and in so doing reveals my heart as well. In this particular scene, we get to see the anger of Jesus. Not something I tend to think a lot about to be honest. I like to cast my mind onto the meek and mild Jesus. The gentle and lowly Jesus. The Jesus that seems to be ok with my little faith and propensity to sin. But here I get to witness his anger as he looks around the room and sees the hardness of the leaders’ hearts. What brought this anger, he was grieved.

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