Wonderful Jesus!

Cut It Off!

Mark 9:42-43- “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched” NKJV

My plan was to skip over this part of chapter 9 and move on to 10, but as I spent time with the Lord, He began talking to me from this passage. Let’s dive in and see what God has for us today!

“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.
Mark 9:42 NKJV

As we come to the end of 2021, it’s amazing to think of all that we have experienced as a nation, as a church, and even as individuals. If anyone prophesied to us in 2019, what 2020 and 2021 would look like, we would have thought they were false prophets. But looking at where we are, we have to be honest in our private time with God and ask, how did we get here?

Yes, the pandemic threw us for a loop, shutting down much of the world. Yes, many lives were lost, and therefore, many more were changed. Jobs were stopped, businesses were closed down forever, the world went digital through IoT (internet of things), and the way we do life saw many changes.

Online services have become the norm causing some to be content to stay home during service times. Those who were left out because they were ill or the church was inaccessible can now enjoy worship with their friends and family. This is a blessing! But for those who are just staying home, you are causing others who are babes in Christ, quite possible yourself, to stumble.

Jesus said that if we cause one to stumble! That’s a pretty high calling by which to live. For if we cause one to stumble, Jesus said, it would be better if we were thrown in the sea! Now let me stop to say that Jesus isn’t encouraging suicide or murder here. He is saying that it is really and truly serious to Him if we conduct our lives in such a manner that it causes others to stumble.

If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched
Mark 9:43 NKJV

Let me also point out that I don’t believe for a second that Jesus believes in self-mutilation. Nothing anyone could ever write in a commentary or preach in a sermon could ever convince me that we are to start cutting off our body parts if we sin with them. But I do believe, because I heard Him addressing me, that there are some things that we do need to cut off. As a matter of fact, the phrase, “cut it off” has been ringing in my heart for days.

Let’s read this in the Amplified version:

“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe and trust in Me to stumble [that is, to sin or lose faith], it would be better for him if a heavy millstone [one requiring a donkey’s strength to turn it] were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble and sin, cut it off [that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation]! It is better for you to enter life crippled, than to have two hands and go into hell, into the unquenchable fire.
Mark 9:42-43 AMP

When God spoke to my spirit this week, this is what He said to me. If there is something that will cause us, or others to stumble, that we are involved in, it’s time to cut it off! Today, is my first time reading this passage in the AMP version, so I know that I wasn’t just meditating on this version. God said, some things need to be cut off, or out of our lives.

What things? There is absolutely no way that we can live the kind of life that won’t offend someone. I know people who get offended at the concept of supporting their church financially. Let them! But there are other things that are offensive, and we know they are offensive and divisive, yet we participate with them or at least approve of them. It’s time to cut them off!

That individual who you are still involved with, knowing what God has to say in His word, is an offense to young believers and a sin you need to be rid of. It’s time to cut it off! Your heart may break, your life may change, children may be affected, but in the end, your eternity is what matters! Get mad with me if you need to, but you can stop deceiving yourself by thinking God is okay with homosexuality, fornication, adultery, or any other sinful lifestyle. Just because you are living what you think is a good life, He is not in it! Cut it off and go on to live His best life!

When our daughter was in undergrad, she attended a church that believed it was okay to drink alcoholic beverages. We had many conversations about that! I know all the scriptures about Jesus drinking wine and sitting with the sinners. But deep in our spirit, we know that is not the behavior of believers and it could inadvertently cause people to stumble, including us! Just cut it off! It’s not necessary for a healthy and prosperous life!

Paul said it this way:

But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.
1 Corinthians 8:9 NKJV

You may be feeling like you have the liberty in Christ to drink, to smoke, to do whatever, and I won’t argue with you about it. But Paul wrote that our liberty can become a stumbling block to those who are weak, and we should be mindful of that as we exercise our liberties.

Cut it off! It’s really, really hard to look at our lives and think that there is anything in our lives that can cause others to stumble. I can look at Sister So and So’s life and see that she just needs to stop doing this or stop acting like that. But can she look at my life and do the same? I am sure of it!

James wrote this to the church:

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
James 1:22-25 NKJV

We don’t want to be that person who looks in the mirror of God’s word, sees something He is showing us, and then walks away with our heads hung because we can’t see ourselves letting go of it, like the rich young ruler. No! We want to respond immediately!

Just this week, as I was before the Lord, He showed me something in my life that I need to cut off. I know it’s the truth! So I repented of that thing and asked Him to help me as I learn to walk free of it. It’s a blessing to realize that He loves me so much He wants to prune me to look more like Him.

Maybe He is speaking to you through today’s blog. Maybe He is using it to confirm something He has already spoken to you. Whatever it is, take courage and cut it off today! Wonderful Jesus!

Becoming Great!

Mark 9:35- And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” NKJV

Jesus’ disciples did a lot of walking in the course of their time spent together. They were having a conversation that they didn’t want Jesus to be privy to on this particular occasion. They were discussing who would be the greatest in the kingdom.

Now that we all know Jesus’ feelings on the subject, it is easy for us to look at them and think, seriously? But if we are honest with ourselves, each of us has had thoughts of greatness in our hearts. Every little kid who picks up basketball desires to be the greatest basketball player ever! He doesn’t have dreams of washing out in high school! No! He’s dreaming of the NBA and having a career greater than Michael Jordan or LeBron James! Every singer wants to be greater than Whitney Houston or Cece Winans. We all have visions of greatness!

Allow me to be vulnerable. I am a minister and have been preaching for over forty years. I am unknown, and my only ministry right now is in my blog. I’m not complaining; however, I realize that many may see me as insignificant, unproven. But that is how they see me, not how Jesus sees me. And although I have been serving faithfully in the kingdom since I was a teenager, I still look at my life and want to do something great for God. I’m not discounting all that I have done in the kingdom, I am just admitting that I want to do so much more!

Jesus shares His point of view on what it takes to be great in the kingdom. This statement qualifies as one of those times when His thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are not our ways.

And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”
Mark 9:35 NKJV

No one wants to be last! Have you ever seen students line up for recess? I have. They all rush to get to the front of the line. It doesn’t matter that you tell them they will all get there simultaneously; no one wants to be last getting there! Have you ever been riding down the road, and someone speeds ahead of you to get to the corner first? They are still acting like they are in elementary school. They will not be last! Yet Jesus says that being great, being first is not the goal. It doesn’t look like what we think it looks like!

If you want to be great, be a servant. Well, no one remembers the servant, Jesus! How can we do great things for Him as a servant? Where is our model?

Jesus is our best model. As we look at His life in the book of Mark, we see Him as a servant. He made Himself available to meet the needs of the people, even when He was exhausted. He healed the multitudes of sick people and provided meals for thousands of people. He trained the disciples and taught the people for hours on end. His church was on the seashore, at the base of a mountain, in a cemetery, or a field. Wherever He was needed and whatever He could do to serve others, we see Jesus doing it. So Jesus, being Great, told us that His greatness was demonstrated by His willingness to serve and be last! Not by lording His rulership over others!

As a result of His servant’s heart and lifestyle, Paul wrote these words about Jesus:

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
Philippians 2:5-8 NKJV

Although He is God, when He came to Earth, He didn’t come looking to make a reputation for Himself. Paul stated that Jesus took on the attitude of a bondservant just by coming in the likeness of man. He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death on the cross! He served God without worrying about if people thought He was great or not, without being concerned about His reputation, even without regard to being honored and received. I don’t know about you, but this blog is speaking to me!

Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.”
Mark 9:36-37 NKJV

Jesus presents a child to the disciples. I’m not sure why, although commentators have an opinion. Whoever receives a child in Jesus’ name is doing something great. If I am still thinking about being a servant, maybe the comparison to a child indicates that there will be some people we don’t want to serve. During this age, children didn’t carry a lot of value, according to the commentators. In today’s society, we see people who are not valued every day. Young people, old people, poor people, people who are different from us can all be treated as if they are not important. Lord, help! In light of this comparison, Jesus encourages us to receive and serve those the world turns its backs on!

My husband and I attended a primarily white church when we first married. They had an outreach ministry to the Black community. Every Sunday, they would send out buses to pick the children up and bring them to church. There had to be a couple of hundred kids present every Sunday. We worked in this ministry during children’s church, and they were provided a meal. The only problem with the outreach was that they wouldn’t allow their children to mix with the Black kids. Still, those children got to hear about Jesus, and I am sure that some of them live for Him today because of it!

Jesus said that when we receive these children in His name, we receive Him. If that be true, you would think that we would certainly treat them with the utmost care. Reaching out to others as if we were actually reaching out to Jesus could change our whole approach to serving others.

Lastly, Jesus said that when we receive Him, we welcome the One who sent Him, the Father! I’m a work in progress, and I know that you are also. People can be really annoying, and with some people, their needs seem to have no end. But when we think of what it means to Jesus and how He sees our service to others, it bears thinking about and making some changes!

I don’t think the disciples were all wrong about wanting to be great for God. I do think arguing about who was going to be the greatest was a little childish. I’m not concerned about who will be the greatest in this life, but I am still interested in doing something great. I believe there is a vast difference between wanting to do something great and wanting to be great! Now that Jesus’ words have reminded us of what that looks like, I believe that we can all work towards greatness! Wonderful Jesus!

Dynamic Duo!

Mark 9:28-29- And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.” NKJV

Some things in life just go together, like peanut butter and jelly, macaroni and cheese, hamburger and fries. Occasionally each of these ingredients will be placed with other ingredients, but when you go back to the basics, these are some of the dynamic duos of food. There is another dynamic duo that is the subject for this post, fasting and praying, and when coupled together, the power unleashed is unstoppable.

Jesus’ disciples were faced with an obstacle that they could not overcome. As a matter of fact, it put them in an embarrassing situation. Jesus had left most of His followers behind as He went to the mount with Peter, James, and John to pray. While there, He was transfigured and Moses and Elijah met with Him. While He and the disciples were on the mountaintop having a glorious experience, the other disciples met a situation they were ill-prepared to handle.

A father had come looking for Jesus to set his son free from an unclean spirit that had been terrorizing his son for years. When he couldn’t find Jesus, he asked the disciples to help his son, and they could not. I can imagine their deliverance service looked a lot like some of ours look. We expend a lot of energy with very little results. Jesus comes upon the scene, finds out what is happening, and sets the young man free. When the disciples are alone with Jesus they ask Him:

“Why could we not cast it out?” So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”
Mark 9:28-29 NKJV

Jesus told the disciples that there are some things that only move after a time of fasting and prayer. Most of us want to be able to exercise authority over principalities when we are only willing to fast from candy and pray the Lord’s prayer. That might get you something, but it won’t get you the power unleashed when you begin to really turn down the plate for some serious fasting, and carve out time in your day to meet with God.

This demon was no imp. He had been manifesting in this boy’s life for most of his existence and he wasn’t leaving without a fight. But Jesus was more than equipped to handle the situation, and if we are going to take on the tough situations of life, we are going to have to fast and pray.

I clearly remember a time when someone was praying about her marriage. God instructed me to fast for three days. I automatically knew that I would be praying. I informed her of what the Lord had spoken to me. She immediately decided that she would be fasting and praying also. God had given me a specific timeframe when her husband would return home to her after years of separation (and then He told me to fast). Sure enough, after those three days of fasting and praying, things went downhill. But I stood on what God had told me. As sure as He is King, He turned that situation around, when He said that He would, and they are still married to this day! Glory be to God!

During times of prolonged illnesses of a loved one is an excellent time to fast and pray. David wrote:

But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth (mourning garment); I humbled my soul with fasting, and I prayed with my head bowed on my chest.
Psalm 35:13 AMP

This doesn’t mean that every single time I have fasted and prayed for someone who was sick that they had a miraculous recovery. I would be lying if I said it or led you to believe it. But when I finish fasting and praying, I know that I have prayed and done all that I knew to do. The opportunity for healing was certainly not hindered because I chose to do nothing, so peace reigns in my heart.

Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher…and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
Luke 2:36-38 NKJV

Anna spent her life fasting and praying to the Lord. During one of her times with the Lord, He spoke to her and told her that she would see the Messiah before she left the earth. One day, as she was going about her daily tasks, she walked into the room where she saw the Messiah, Jesus, who would redeem Israel from their sins. What a blessed day that was for her! For mankind!

It is my personal belief that a lot of what we experience today can be stopped with fasting and praying. Not one person fasting and praying, although it has to begin with someone, nations fasting and praying to see God standing in the midst of our situations and circumstances!

It’s true that if you are just fasting, and not praying that you haven’t connected to the power unleashed by the dynamic duo, but don’t underestimate the power of doing one or the other. They both work alone, but together, they are more powerful. Jesus said so in our text that some things require that we both fast and pray.

Cornelius wasn’t even saved when he tapped into the power of fasting and praying!

So Cornelius said, “Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God.Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. When he comes, he will speak to you.’So I sent to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God.”
Acts 10:30-33 NKJV

Cornelius had a hunger in his heart. He wasn’t a believer, as a matter of fact, he wasn’t even a Jew. But his heart cried out to the Lord. And as he hungered for God he felt to fast and pray. During that time, God sent an angel to him with specific directions of where to find Peter so that Peter could share the gospel with him. Cornelius obeyed the angel, gathered his family, and waited for Peter’s arrival. He and his entire household received salvation!

Some of our friends and family members are stubborn. They are bent on having their way. But when prayer isn’t working, it may be time to unleash the power of the dynamic duo. It may be time to fast and pray! How long should you fast and pray? How serious is your need?

There are some demonic attacks that won’t let go just because you prayed and exercised your faith. There will be times, when what you are facing is greater than what you are prepared for. But that’s okay because with fasting and praying you can get prepared. And if you lead a fasted life, you can be in a ready position, staying ahead of the devil!

Every believer needs to understand fasting and praying is not just a spiritual discipline, it is access to the power of God for breakthrough in our lives. Determine today that you will be opened to spend time fasting and praying about the situations in your life, and the lives of others, that seem to be too stubborn to move! Make it your mission to fight back with the weapons that God has given us, then stand on whatever He speaks to your heart, or obey whatever He directs you to. Wonderful Jesus!

A Father’s Request!

Mark 9:21-22- “So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” NKJV

Jesus and His disciples were returning from the mount of transfiguration when they notice a crowd of people with His other disciples. The scribes are disputing with His disciples, and as He comes upon them, He asks a question, “What are you discussing with them?”

Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.”
Mark 9:17-18 NKJV

Since Mark doesn’t make it plain what the discussion was about, and the man spoke up and shared this situation with Jesus, let’s just assume they were discussing the boy’s condition and the disciples inability to handle the situation.

The father brought his son to Jesus, but at the time Jesus was on the mount of transfiguration. When it was evident that Jesus wasn’t around, the father assumed that because of the disciple’s association with Jesus, they could get the job done.

Can you imagine watching your child going through such horrendous experiences as this father did? He said the demon threw his son down, caused him to foam at the mouth, to grind his teeth and then become rigid, locking his body. This was terrible! Yet, this was their reality! Most parents can’t bear their children having a fever, or the chicken pox, let alone seizures and fits that are demonically controlled. And if this wasn’t enough, the child had no ability to voice what he was feeling because he was mute.

I can imagine the father’s desperation. I can imagine his anguish over watching his son being tormented by the demon, and the helpless feeling that would overcome him as he watched his son being abused time and again by this demon. Jesus’ disciples were unable to assist him. They wanted to, and they tried to set him free, but to no avail. And the father’s state of hopelessness returns. So when he sees Jesus, hope is renewed and he races to Jesus to tell him what is going on.

He answered him and said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.” Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.
Mark 9:19-20 NKJV

Bring him to Me! When they brought the boy to Jesus, the demon saw Jesus and immediately caused the boy to go into convulsions. Do you see that? The demon was putting on a show of defiance for Jesus, trying for the last time to destroy this boy. Because one thing the demon is certain of, his days of hurting this boy are over!

So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
Mark 9:21-22 NKJV

Jesus asks the father how long had his son been going through this? The father gives Jesus a summary of his son’s experiences. He tells Jesus that since his son was a boy he had been experiencing these episodes, or attacks from the enemy. When the episodes happened, his son was thrown in the fire and in the water to destroy him. Then he looks at Jesus and makes a heartfelt request: “But if You can do anything have compassion on us and help us.”

The father’s request is not just for the son, it is for him also. Everything that his son has experienced, the father has been right there with him. When the demon threw his son in the fire, he had to rescue him from the fire and bandage his wounds. When the demon threw his son in the water to drown him, he had to pull him out of the water to rescue him. I imagine he couldn’t let the boy out of his sight for long. Either that or he had someone assigned to watching over him. He loved his son and wanted him free. He had done all that he could and now he asks Jesus if there is anything that He could do for them, would He please have compassion on them and help them?

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
Mark 9:23-24 NKJV

Jesus said to the father, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” The father immediately cried out, “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!”

Jesus stated that if we can believe, all things are possible to him who believes! The ownership of faith is always on us! It’s not about what Jesus can do, but what we believe that Jesus will do!

My husband comes to mind when I think of a father’s request! Watching him over the years as he has prayed for our girls about situations in their lives reminds me of this father.

When I was pregnant with our second born, my husband prayed that we would have a healthy child, that I would have a natural delivery, and that it wouldn’t be expensive because we were paying out of pocket. Well, on the day of delivery, I had a C-section, our child was rushed to PICU, and we knew it was going to cost a lot of money. While this is in no way as severe as the father in our text, for us, it was major because they told us she could die.

He went back to the Father, and told him, “I asked for a natural delivery, and she had a C-section. I asked for a healthy baby, and we’re being told she could die on us because of her larynx being under developed, and I asked for the cost to be kept down, and its climbing into the thousands.” As he went to bed that night he meditated on this scripture:

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV

The very next day when he arrived at the hospital things started changing! The hospital submitted paperwork to someone and the bill was taken care of by them. The money we had paid was returned to us. Our daughter is living her best life with no trace of what she experienced, and I recovered quickly!

Parents, our prayers make the difference in our children lives. No matter their age! And as this father was courageous in going to Jesus, and honest about where he was in his faith, so must we be!

When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!” Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.
Mark 9:25-27 NKJV

Jesus set that father’s son free. That deaf and dumb spirit had to release him at Jesus’ command! Jesus healed our daughter and she had no further issues with her larynx. He’s just good like that! Never underestimate your ability to pray a prayer that says, I have to have a yes! That’s called faith! Wonderful Jesus!

That’s Supernatural!

Mark 9:2-4-“Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.” NKJV

Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.
Mark 9:9-10 NKJV

Most of the time when I read that Jesus told someone not to say anything, I have to admit that I’m a little confused by the request. But on this occasion, I completely understand it. Can you imagine what would have happened if the disciples had shared that they witnessed Jesus speaking to Moses and Elijah? Someone may have wanted to have them committed!

Jesus takes them to the mountain to get away. I believe He knows exactly what is about to happen, and His disciples are clueless, as usual. He takes a select group with Him, Peter, James and John.

Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.
Mark 9:2 NKJV

When they got to the place that Jesus was leading them to, He was transfigured. The Greek word for transfigured is “metamorphoo” which means to change into another form. What form could He have been transfigured into? I think, based on my studies, that He looked more like His divine presence of Glory, then He looked like a man. The glory of God resonated so brightly through Him, that the disciples didn’t know how to describe it. Yet, they tried.

His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.
Mark 9:3 NKJV

This transfiguration was about more than Jesus’ clothes being white. However, Mark states that they were whiter than white, and whiter than any person on earth could have ever gotten them. Matthew wrote:

And He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.
Mark 9:2 NKJV

In Matthew’s description of the event, Jesus’ clothes were white as light, but He added that Jesus’ face shone like the sun. Matthew wasn’t there, but when he heard it described, someone told him that the whiteness was like light! This certainly sounds like the Glory of God being released in Jesus! Luke used a different word to describe what happened:

As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.
Luke 9:29 NKJV

I read that it is believed that Luke used the word “altered” instead of “transfigured” because he was writing to a Gentile audience and didn’t want to confuse them with their ancient beliefs of gods. But whatever word was used, something unusual took place on that mountaintop and the disciples had a hard time putting it into words. If that wasn’t enough, Jesus had visitors!

And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.
Mark 9:4 NKJV

Can I just say that if I was the disciples, by now I would be freaking all the way out! Maybe it would have been happening inwardly, and maybe I would have been shouting! But I would have had a reaction I am sure! First, Jesus changes into a different person, He looks like God and not like a man! Then two men appear to talk with Him and they are recognized as Moses and Elijah! Moses disappeared on Mount Nebo before the children of Israel ever crossed the Jordan! When He died and where He was buried was only known to God. (See Deuteronomy 34:5-6)

And now, this great leader of Israel, the one who brought the children of Israel out of the promised land and gave them the Law from God on tablets of stones is before them! That’s more than amazing, that’s supernatural. And if that isn’t enough to cause them to be in a state of shock, Elijah that great prophet, the one who was carried away in a whirlwind on chariots of fire before Elisha was also standing there talking with Jesus! (See 2 Kings 2:10-11)

Can you just imagine how the disciples were feeling at this time? Jesus allowed them to witness this incredible moment in His life. They saw Him in all of His glory, and they also saw two men they thought were dead and buried, and but a memory, a spiritual icon. And according to the word, they were greatly afraid!

Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”— because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid.
Mark 9:5-6 NKJV

Peter is the one who probably shared all of this with Mark before he wrote it down. I can imagine that Mark asked him, “Why did you tell Jesus that you thought you should build tabernacles for them?” And Peter probably replied, “I don’t know Mark. I was so scared that I didn’t know what to say, but the first thing that popped in my head was that we should build tabernacles and I just said it!” Yep! In the presence of the glory, people don’t always know how they will respond, and this was such a case! Peter may have said something that showed he hadn’t thought, but he recognized the moment as being monumental!

And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves.
Mark 9:7-8 NKJV

At that moment, when the disciples probably felt that their thirst for the supernatural had been thoroughly quenched and was more than they could handle, God Himself descended in a cloud and overshadowed them all! God spoke and said, “This is My beloved Son! Hear Him!” In other words, Moses had his opportunity to speak to the people and he fulfilled his assignment. Elijah had his opportunity to speak to my people, and he fulfilled his assignment. This is Jesus’ time! There will not be any tabernacles made for anyone. Just hear what my beloved Son has to say!” And just like that, everyone was gone but Jesus!

Just describing this scene is causing my spirit to leap at the awesomeness of what they witnessed. Jesus being transfigured would have been enough. Seeing Moses and Elijah was more than enough! Having God descend on them and speak to them was indescribable! It was too supernatural to truly put into words. That’s why the descriptions seem so vague. How do you truly describe a God encounter?

I skipped over verse one, but now I will return it.

And He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.”
Mark 9:1 NKJV

I’m wondering if this is that moment that Jesus spoke of when He mentioned the kingdom of God being present with power? The one that some of them would see before they left the earth! What could be a more powerful demonstration to His disciples, outside of His resurrection, that He is God and the kingdom is really real? I’m telling you, this is deep! This is power! This is supernatural! I am truly at the end of my words as I reverence the God we are serving. Thank you, Father! Wonderful, wonderful Jesus!

Pay to Play!

Mark 8:34-35 –When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. NKJV

How well we understand the concept that nothing in life is free. There is a price to be paid for anything worth having. For example, going back to school is an expensive endeavor in time and money. Most people aren’t willing to pay the cost of going back to school even when they are aware that it will get them closer to their dreams. But for those who are willing to pay the cost, they understand that there will be some events that they will have to say no to because of assignments or classes. They make the needed sacrifices, they pay the price with their finances and their time, and eventually they obtain the skills and the degree to pursue other avenues in life.

Then there is the case of a good marriage! There is no such thing as getting married and automatically have a good marriage. It’s work! And for some, the time and effort needed to make a marriage work isn’t worth it to them. So they end up divorced and broken. Even when one person is willing to pay the price, things will still go wrong and end badly, because two people made the commitment and both of them need to pay the cost to have a good marriage. That may look like swallowing your pride and saying that you are sorry. It may look like saying no to the friends who are single and still want to hang out on a regular basis. It could be as simple as saying good night to your boss, so you can hurry home and say hello to your spouse. Whatever you need to do in your marriage, it is going to cost you something else; but when you are committed to your spouse and your marriage, it is worth it!

Such is the case with our relationship with Jesus. He paid for our salvation, but there is a price to be paid. Not to obtain salvation, for it is free. But Jesus said that following Him requires a price from the follower!

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.
Mark 8:34-35 NKJV

Most people just want to be saved and know that they won’t go to hell. That may be alright for the average person, but for those of us who hold Him dear and want to follow Him all of our days, we must understand that there is a price to be paid.

Self is hard to deny. Jesus understands that, and yet He asks it of us. If we are going to follow after Him, we must deny ourselves. We may say yes to denying a whole lot of folks, but rarely do we consider denying ourselves. Have you ever tried to lose weight by denying yourself a favorite food? I bet that was hard! As a matter of fact, the weight loss business is making money hand over fist because we would rather do anything, take anything, drink anything that will keep us from saying no to what we want to eat! And still, with all of that, we often fail to lose the weight. I should know, I have been trying to lose the same pounds for a decade. I take it off, it comes back, and then I work to take it off again, and it comes back again. It started with 10 pounds, but when it returned it brought some more with it. Yikes! You get the drift!

When a fast is called, there is usually griping in the ranks. People don’t understand why they have to let go of their food for a period of time because a fast has been called. Especially when someone adds in the fact that you should not be on social media, or watch the news, or television, or any other denial. We just have a hard time telling ourselves no. After all, I’m grown and can do what I want to do!

Spiritually denying ourselves can take on many forms. Denying self could be a time of fasting and praying. Denying self could happen when you allow Him to keep you pure during your singleness. Denying self could happen in marriage when you honor your vows of clinging to one another. Denying yourself could include church attendance when you would rather stay home. Denying yourself could include giving to others when you could easily spend on yourself. There are so many ways to deny yourself, and when He asks it of us, we should give it!

Taking up our cross! Can I start by stating that this isn’t a sickness or a disease that you will have to battle. If it was, Jesus wouldn’t have healed so many people because in doing so, He didn’t allow them to carry their cross. Your cross could easily be that you are the only Christian at your school or job, and as difficult as it is, as lonely as the weekends can be, you are determined to live for Jesus! That cross isn’t for always! Or maybe you are ridiculed at work, ignored, and looked over during promotion because you refuse to drink with the gang, sleep with the manager, or lie for the team. That cross isn’t forever, but for now, you have to carry it for the cause of Christ.

Deciding to follow Jesus is the greatest decision a person can make. For me, it is synonymous with being saved. But for those of you who disagree, I am okay with that! Following Jesus says that where He leads, we will follow! If that pathway leads to few friends and lonely nights, I’ll just spend some more time with Him, but I refuse to compromise to be with others. Following Jesus may mean persecution on the job, in the neighborhood, in the family, or amongst friends, but it is what it is! Consider Him who gave up it all, that we might be saved!

What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him, the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
Mark 8:36-38 NKJV

Jesus asks the million dollar question when He asks, “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? Isn’t that the bottom line. If you are more concerned about having a man, or a woman, then you are about His call to holiness, how will that help you in the end? It won’t! How will compromising on your job, lying to get ahead, ignoring unrighteousness to obtain riches help you with eternity? It won’t! Self-denial, taking up your cross, and following Jesus is a price that we all have to pay. None of us can avoid it. In doing so, it appears that we are ashamed of Him and that’s a sad place to be. For if we deny Him before men, He will deny us before the Father! Let’s determine today that we are all in and ready to pay the cost, for we have counted it, and find it doable! There is no shame in our game because we adore Him and have made up our minds that He is worth the cost! Wonderful Jesus!

The Cost!

Mark 8:31- And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. NKJV

The Cost?

His Blood!

I’m amazed at how often I hear people say that salvation is free. They aren’t lying, but what I say in my mind is that it is free to us, but it was not free! Most things in life worth having, comes with a cost and this beautiful life with Jesus has the greatest price tag ever! His Blood!

When we started in the book of Mark, I shared that the portrait of Jesus in this gospel is that of the Suffering Servant. Thus far, what we have seen from the Pharisees and religious leaders have been minimal in comparison to what He will experience. We have seen them angry with Jesus. They have tried to trap Jesus with His words. They have tested Him with His compassion. And they have tried to turn others away from Him. But up to this point they have only been harassing Him.

Now, Jesus begins to teach them about what is getting ready to happen to Him!

And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
Mark 8:31 NKJV

The Son of Man must suffer many things. There is a saying, “Things will get worst before they will get better!” That was Jesus’ message to them. He told the disciples that He would be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and scribes. Nobody foretold of this time better than Isaiah:

He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
Isaiah 53:3 NKJV

The phrase “be rejected” in the Greek is apodokimasthēnai, and it literally means “to disapprove of”. The evidence is there for all to see, how very much the scribes and Pharisees disapproved of Jesus. They didn’t like one thing about Him! And they allowed that to fester in their hearts to the extent of wanting to commit murder! We need to be really careful about what we allow to fester in our own hearts!

One commentator wrote that the phrase “be rejected” meant “failed to pass the scrutiny.” We know that the Pharisees felt that Jesus failed to pass their scrutiny of Him, but surprisingly this word, according to the commentator, means that they failed to pass God’s scrutiny of them! How many people today are in the same position that the Pharisees were in, thinking that they were in a place to approve or disapprove of Jesus, when in actuality, they were the ones who were found lacking?

He told the disciples that He would be killed. What? This is Jesus, the Messiah! Son of the living God! He heals the sick, open blind eyes, cause the deaf to hear, and the mute to speak. The lame walk at His word and demons flee upon command. And now He is saying that He will be killed? I’m sure the disciples were a confused bunched of people! And if that wasn’t enough, He said after three days He would rise again. They probably didn’t hear the rise again part because they were shocked that He would speak of being killed!

He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
Mark 8:32-33 NKJV

A few verses earlier, Peter boldly proclaims that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. So when he hears Jesus talking like this, he thinks he has a right to tell Jesus that He has gone too far! Peter rebukes Jesus! Say what? I know he didn’t! Yes, he did! Meshuga! Yiddish word for he is crazy! But surprisingly, it appears that while the others may be wondering what Jesus is talking about, Peter seems to understand exactly what He is saying! Jesus will be murdered! Peter cannot accept this! Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ! He has come to reign in the kingdom that He has been speaking of. A glorious kingdom. The best one of all! Matthew let’s us in on what Peter said to Jesus:

Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”
Matthew 16:22 NKJV

No way is this going to happen to you Jesus! No way! Then Jesus in turn rebukes Peter!

“Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
Mark 8:33 NKJV

Peter went from Jesus’ approval to being rebuked! It was the plan of God for Jesus to die. He had to pay the cost that no other being, human or otherwise, could pay. For Peter to so strongly protest His death was the devil! Jesus didn’t say, “Peter, I rebuke you!” He said, “Get behind Me, Satan!” He was dealing with the devil, who was using Peter, to interfere with the plan of God!

Now don’t get all sanctimonious on me! You know very well that there are times when someone says something to you or someone else and you know it’s the devil talking! Even when you really love that person! You are not saying that they are possessed by the devil, but they yielded to him for that moment in time when they said those words that were crushing to your spirit. Yep! That was the devil himself! Or at least, one of his demons!

Jesus points out an interesting nugget here. He said that Peter was mindful of the things of men, and not the things of God. Is it possible that when we get so carried away with what is happening in this world that we lose focus of what God is doing? Is it possible that we can find ourselves in the same place that Peter was in? More mindful of the the things of the world? Is God waiting to rebuke us? Scary thought!

I got carried away with this blog and had to cut out a chunk of it for another day! I started this blog by stating that salvation wasn’t free. Not from the viewpoint of heaven. It cost Jesus His life! It cost Him humiliation! It cost Him a time of separation from God, something He had never experienced. It cost Him dearly!

So the next time you think of your this great salvation that you enjoy, thank Him for the cost He so willingly paid, that we might experience it so freely! Wonderful Jesus!

What Do You Call Him?

Mark 8:27-30- Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, “Who do men say that I am?”

I’m excited about today’s blog, “He is the Christ!” When I think about this experience that the disciples had with Jesus, and reading the dialogue, I get goosebumps wondering what kind of answers He would get today!

As Jesus is casually walking with the disciples down the road, He asks an unexpected question of them:

Who do men say that I am?
Mark 8:27 NKJV

I can just imagine them walking along and throwing out the different opinions they have heard about who Jesus is.

So they answered, “John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.”
Mark 8:28 NKJV

Have you ever noticed that all of these people had already died? John had been beheaded by Herod, just as Jesus began His public ministry. In another gospel we get the details about what happened. Herod married his sister-in-law which John told him was unacceptable. He didn’t like it, but he was scared of the John because John was a prophet.

But Herod’s wife was angry and probably a little insulted by John’s words. I’m sure they weren’t very nice words since the Law would have called them adulterers and John would have quoted the Law. One night when Herod got really drunk, he asked his step-daughter to dance for him and his guests. She must have been some dancer for he offered her whatever she wanted up to half of his kingdom. She ran and asked her mother what to ask for and was quickly told to ask for the head of John the Baptist on a platter. She sounds like a very sick woman!

Then they suggested that He might be Elijah! I can understand this one a little better because of all of the miracles. However, since they didn’t believe in reincarnation this is a stretch. However, under the influence of the Greco-Roman paganism, they could have gotten things a little twisted.

Although Mark stopped naming after Elijah, by the statement he made, we know that they had other prophets and people they listed. It’s interesting to note that if you were to ask this question of men today you would still get a lot of different answers! It would be interesting to see what others would say. But had Jesus asked the people He encountered we would have gotten different answers!

John the Baptist called Jesus the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world!
The man with the unclean spirit, called Him the mighty Deliverer!
Peter’s mother-in-law, called Him the Healer!
The leper called Him a Restorer of Life!
The man who was paralyzed called Him a Forgiver of sins!
The blind man called Him a Restorer of Sight!
And He was still so much more!

But with all of these ways that Jesus continuously demonstrated who He was, from their responses to His question there was still great confusion about Him. They saw the miracles reminiscent of the days of the prophets like Elijah and Elisha and called Him Elisha. They heard the gospel message and His way of dealing with the Pharisees, which probably delighted most of them and called Him a prophet. And they saw His tenderness towards the lame, the poor, the children, and women and found Him to be a puzzle for them. Yet this didn’t bother Jesus so much! After listening to them for a few minutes He had another question.

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.”
Mark 8:29 NKJV

After having read the Bible, when you come back to this passage, you may think, of course it was Peter who answered! But I like his style. He responded to Jesus’ question without hesitation. You are the Christ!

Christ is the Greek word for anointed. When used with the article “the” it is always in reference to Jesus, as the Anointed One. In Hebrew the word for anointed is Messiah. Typically Christ not only refers to Jesus’ title as the Anointed One, but also to His anointing!

Many people were anointed in scriptures:

priests were anointed to carry out their duties in the temple
kings were anointed to represent God’s authority on earth
prophets were anointed to carry God’s message
In the New Testament, those who carried the gospel message, whether anointed with oil or not, were considered to be anointed

But only Jesus carries the rightful title of the Christ, God’s anointed One! What makes Peter’s declaration so powerful is that Peter was declaring that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies regarding the Messiah, the anointed one!

What was the Messiah supposed to look like? Did they have any idea? Did the Law reveal ways they would know Him? All of these answers are in the Old Testament and revealed in Jesus.

The Messiah would be born of a virgin. Isaiah 7:14
The Messiah would be rejected. Isaiah 53:3
The Messiah would bear the sins of His people. Isaiah 53:12
The Messiah would do miracles. Isaiah 61
The Messiah would be preceded by Elijah. Micah 4:5
The Messiah would be like Moses. Deuteronomy 18:15
Not to forget where He was born, and how He came out of Egypt, and so many other things.

These are the things that Peter and the disciples saw with their own eyes and yet they still struggled with this reality. You see, as Jews, they believed that the Messiah would come to establish an earthly kingdom, and to this point, He was doing a great job with the miracles, but the Romans were still in charge. Although we know the end of the events of Jesus’ life, I won’t jump ahead. Peter and the disciples are still secretly looking for an earthly kingdom that Jesus will be in charge of after He kicks out the Romans! And even with this secret hope, Peter recognizes the Messiah, the Christ!

Who do you say that Jesus is? This question is still important and relevant today! Maybe it is more important! What do you call Him? What do you say about Him to others? When I answer that question, of course I give Peter’s answer, because I truly believe it is the correct answer! But here are a few other things I have to say about who Jesus is:

He’s my Healer!
He’s my Savior!
He’s my Lord!
He’s my God!
He’s my King!
He’s my Redeemer!
He’s my Provider!
He’s my Protection!
He’s my Best Friend!
He’s my Big Brother!

He is still the Christ! He is still the Son of the Living God! He is alive and He reign supreme in my life! When I sin, He is faithful and just to forgive me of my sins! When I hurt, He comforts and encourages me. When I am tired, He gives me strength! When I feel like giving up, He reminds that His grace and love is sufficient! I can’t imagine life without Him, because I know that to know Him is to know life! I thank God for Jesus! Wonderful, wonderful Jesus!

No Set Pattern!

Mark 8:22-23- Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.

In this blog I want to address one of my favorite topics: healing! There are so many people in the world today who are sick. Hospitals are overcrowded in some areas with people who are infected with the coronavirus. They need to be healed. Outside of that, there are people who have diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, arthritis, and a host of other things that have attacked their bodies, with and without their help. The wonderful news is that Jesus is still the Healer! Even when you go to a doctor and medicine is prescribed, or surgery is performed, ultimate healing is in His hand!

In our text a blind man is brought to Jesus and they beg Him to touch the man that He might be healed. Jesus leads the man out of town, and instead of touching Him, Jesus spits on his eyes! At this point, the average person would have lost their miracle. I may have been one of them, for when we think of people spitting, we don’t think of healing coming forth! And can I give a word of wisdom at this point, if you spit on someone, you had better know that you are being led by the Holy Spirit because it could be disastrous otherwise!

This is the first time that we encounter a blind person in Mark, but this isn’t the first and only blind person to received their sight from Jesus!

In Matthew 9- two blind men cry out to Jesus for healing. Jesus asked them if they believed that He could heal them. They replied yes, and He touched their eyes and said “be it done to you according to your faith!”
In Matthew 12- a demon possessed man was brought to Him who was both blind and mute. All we are told is that Jesus healed the man and he both saw and spoke!
In Matthew 14-they brought the blind, the maimed, the deaf, the mute, and many others, and Jesus healed them. Again, we don’t know what His method was, but we know it was effective!
In John 9- Jesus healed a man born blind, by spitting on the ground, making a paste and placing it on the man’s eyes. Then He told the man to go and wash in the pool Siloam.
And later in Mark, Jesus heals Bartimaeus, after asking him what did he want for Him to do?

In all of these examples we see Jesus doing different things to bring healing to those who are physically blind. Some were touched, others He spoke to, another He told to go and wash the clay off his eyes, and at other times we don’t know what Jesus did. In our text for today, He spits on the man’s eyes. Unlike every other time in the bible, to my knowledge, this healing isn’t instantaneous. Not only that, but Jesus asks the man if he saw anything.

So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.
Mark 8:23 NKJV

What’s going on? Jesus has a perfect record of instant miracles, and yet He spits on this man’s eyes and then asks him if He sees anything! This is different!

And he looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking.”
Mark 8:24 NKJv

Let me just say that this is a miracle! When was the last time you prayed for someone blind and they could see even a little bit better? The closest I have ever come to this scenario is when I prayed for someone who was losing their sight and God restored their sight. You better believe we gave Him some praise. So if this is all there was to the receiving of sight for this man, his eyes were much improved and it’s a miracle. But Jesus wasn’t finished!

Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.
Mark 8:25 NKJV

Jesus laid hands on His eyes one more time, and this time the man could see clearly. Glory be to God! He does all things well! Even in this scenario of what we point to as a gradual healing, it was pretty instant from my point of view. What I see in this demonstration of healing is something I have learned to do when ministering healing. You pray with expectation to see results, and you ask the person to do something they said they couldn’t do before. If it’s partial, pray again for completion.

On the flip side, I have prayed for people and nothing has changed. I have seen them leave without the manifestation of their healing. Sometimes, I will later get a report of healing, and sometimes they seek medical assistance and get their healing. The important thing is that they get healed. I’m not the healer, Jesus is the Healer. My job is to cooperate with Him in faith, not to think I am the healer!

I haven’t figured out why some people are healed and others are not. I have no answers as to why Sister So and So lived and Brother So and So died. I just know that I believe in divine healing more than I believe in the medical professionals. I trust Him to heal!

Many years ago, a dear friend passed away. We prayed faithfully for her. As a church we prayed weekly, but others of us prayed daily, along with her family. But she passed. I was really messed up. So I asked God about it. He gave me a dream.

In the dream I was on a battlefield similar to the pictures we see in the Civil War. Canons were being fired and gunshots were constant. People were falling to the ground. Some instantly died but others were crying out for help. I was a medic in the dream and I would run to assist someone who was calling, and the person died. As I was grieving, I would hear another cry for help. Then I would rush to another person, and give medical assistance, and have them sent to sick bay. And this happened for several minutes with several different people. Finally I heard His voice and He said something like this:

On a battlefield, there is no time to cry over those who perish. If you do, you will not be able to help those who still need you.

In all honesty, I never wanted to pray for the sick again. I was crushed. But after the dream, I knew I had a choice to make. I could sit around and wonder about why this happened, and why that didn’t happen. Or I could obey God and continue to pray for the sick and trust Him to heal! So I continue to pray and trust my Healer!

I don’t always know what He is going to do, or how He is going to do it! But I am learning that the way doesn’t matter, only the results! Trust Him today for your healing, because He is still Christ, the Healer! Wonderful Jesus!

Sign Seekers!

Mark 8: 11-12- The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, demanding of him a sign from heaven to test him. Sighing deeply in his spirit, he said, “Why does this generation demand a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.” CSB

As we have traveled through the book of Mark, we have seen Jesus perform many miracles. In the previous chapter He healed the Syro-Phoenician’s daughter by getting rid of the unclean spirit that had her bound. We don’t how He did it, we just know that He told her it was done and when she returned home, it was as He had said.

After that He healed a man who was both deaf and mute.

They brought to him a deaf man who had difficulty speaking and begged Jesus to lay his hand on him. So he took him away from the crowd in private. After putting his fingers in the man’s ears and spitting, he touched his tongue. Looking up to heaven, he sighed deeply and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”). Immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was loosened, and he began to speak clearly.
Mark 7:32-35 CSB

I don’t know what you are thinking, but even by today’s standards, this is a pretty impressive sign of the power of God. And yet, they seek a sign!

In the beginning of chapter 8, He feeds four thousand people! When we hear of a ministries feeding four thousand people today, we hear of the big trucks rolling in with produce, dairy products, water, meats and other goodies. When Jesus fed the four thousand, He asked what was around, and fed them all without breaking a sweat!

He called the disciples and said to them, “I have compassion on the crowd, because they’ve already stayed with me three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a long distance.” His disciples answered him, “Where can anyone get enough bread here in this desolate place to feed these people?”“How many loaves do you have?” he asked them.
Mark 8:1-5 CSB

Somebody found some fish in the crowd, and He blessed that also, and they ate and were satisfied. Then they collected seven large baskets of leftovers! The Pharisees had to have heard about these miracles, and yet, they seek a sign!

For some people, as for the Pharisees, looking for a sign is not about building faith in God. If it was, Jesus probably would have given them a sign. But if you look at the first part of verse 11, it is obvious what they were doing.

The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, demanding of him a sign from heaven to test him.
Mark 8: 11 CSB

This activity was the work of the devil, not of faith seekers. How do I know? Let’s return to the wilderness where Jesus spent forty days and forty nights. Mark doesn’t go into detail about that experience, so we need to visit the gospel of Matthew.

“If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Matthew 4:3
“If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.” Matthew 4:6

Twice, the devil tried to get Jesus to show proof of His divinity. Jesus didn’t do it for the devil and most certainly wasn’t going to be tricked into it by the devil’s agents. First of all, these verses should be written with “since” and not “if” for the devil knew that Jesus was and is the Son of God. Secondly, He was trying to get Jesus riled up enough to use His miracle working power to overcome His temptation and to show off! The devil was trying to get Jesus to perform for him, at his bidding, instead of waiting on God’s timing. What a deceiver!

Today, there are still sign-seekers. They want us to prove that we are Christians by doing this or that! They want to attack our position in Christ by saying what we should and shouldn’t do if we are really Christians. They have the same spirit that the Pharisees had when they argued with Jesus and asked for a sign. But what did Jesus say to them?

Sighing deeply in his spirit, he said, “Why does this generation demand a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.”
Mark 8:12 CSB

Why did Jesus sigh deeply in His Spirit? I believe it was because He understood with absolute certainty that nothing He said or did would bring the Pharisees to faith in God. There comes a time, sisters and brothers in Christ, when we have to face that there is nothing that we can say or do to lead some people to the Lord. They will ask us to jump through hoops because as Christians they think we should. They will ask us to flip over backwards because they like to see us perform. But the bottom line is that they are using us as the enemy wanted to use Jesus. Jesus walked away from those sign seekers! And unfortunately we are going to have to walk away from the sign seekers in our life. It’s too burdensome of a place to be when you are always proving yourself, your love, your faithfulness, your Christianity to sign seekers!

Jesus told them that they wouldn’t get a sign from Him. He had nothing to prove. He didn’t perform miracles to prove that He was God, He simply was God. He worked miracles because it was His nature, and because He was moved by compassion (see Mark 8:1). He worked miracles at the direction of God. He worked miracles because faith moved Him to do so. But never to prove anything to the devil or the world!

While Jesus was on the boat with the disciples He gave them a command that seemed to come out of nowhere.

Then he gave them strict orders: “Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”
Mark 8:15 CSB

Since the disciples were already talking about bread, they thought Jesus was also talking about bread. They had only one loaf of bread between them all and they were probably discussing how it was not enough. Jesus was perplexed at the conversation, so much so, He asked if they had forgotten how He fed the five thousand, then the four thousand. They didn’t understand what He was talking about with the leaven, and they still didn’t understand that there is no lack with Jesus.

Back to the leaven. When He commanded them to watch out for the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod, He wasn’t talking about bread at all. In the natural, leaven was used to cause the dough to rise. A small piece of dough was kept to the side to start the next batch of dough. When this piece was placed in new dough, with time it would ferment the entire batch. That, Jesus was saying, was the way of the sin, the evil intents of the Pharisees. It may have seemed a small matter, but Jesus knew that it would grow in its influence against Him and He was warning them to be careful of it!

That’s a whole new blog, but suffice it to say, we too must be careful of the little sins that we can be enticed into practicing, or the little sins that we allow in our lives. It is still the little foxes that spoil the vine (Songs of Solomon 2:15). Wonderful Jesus!