FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

Scripture Reference: 2 Timothy 3:1-17

Continue in God’s Word

Please read 2 Timothy 3:13-17 for background to this section.

The only way to defeat Satan’s lies is with God’s truth. “Thus says the Lord!” is the final answer to every question. Evil men and deceivers are going to get worse and worse. They will deceive more and more. Why? Because they are being deceived by Satan! In these last days, there will be more deception and ever-increasing imitation; and the only way a believer will be able to tell the true from the false is by knowing the Word of God.

Timothy had been taught the Word of God from the time he was a child. Some people are prone to say, “Well, I needed the Bible when I was younger; but I can do without it now that I’m older.” How terribly wrong they are! Adults need the guidance of the Word far more than children do because adults face more temptations and make more decisions. Timothy’s grandmother and mother had faithfully taught him the Old Testament Scriptures. The word “whom” in verse 14 is plural, referring to both these women (see 2 Timothy 1:5). Timothy was to continue in what he had been taught. We never outgrow the Word of God.

This is a good place to admonish Christian parents to teach their children the Bible, starting at a very early age. A good place to start would be a reputable picture Bible. What a joy it can be to watch your children learn while asking questions and then to watch them, as they become more confident in reading, little by little, graduate to Bibles of their own. As soon as your child is born, surround him or her with the Word of God and prayer. You will gradually lose this opportunity if you didn’t start young, after he or she grows up.

In this paragraph, Paul made some important statements about the Scriptures:

They are the Holy Scriptures (verse 15a). “The sacred letters” is a literal translation. The suggestion is that young Timothy learned his Hebrew alphabet by spelling his way through the Old Testament Scriptures. The word for “holy” means “consecrated for sacred use.” The Bible is different from every other book, even books about the Bible, because it has been set apart by God for special sacred uses. We must treat the Bible as the special book it is. You wouldn’t toss a rare treasure around aimlessly, or carelessly leave it anywhere. The Bible is such a treasure and yet too often we forget just how priceless it is.

The way we treat the Bible shows others how much or how little we respect it. It’s not just the pages surrounded with a fancy cover either, that I’m talking about. It’s what’s inside of it. It’s not so much the letters, sentences, and paragraphs that make it a treasure, but rather the spirit that those letters, sentences, and paragraphs convey. Paul gives us the right attitude toward the Word of God (1 Thessalonians 2:13). Yes, today we can carry the Bible in book form, on an app in a phone, or even a tablet or laptop computer, but do we reverence it, what it says, like the treasure it is?

To Be Continued

Adapted and modified excerpts from Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary Volume 2.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Where noted, Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV © 2011 by Biblica, Inc.
Used by permission. All rights reserved

Scripture Reference: 2 Timothy 3:1-17

Follow Those Who Are True

Please read 2 Timothy 3:10-12 for background to this section.

Paul turned from the false leaders to remind Timothy that he (Paul) had been a faithful servant of God. It is important in these difficult days that we follow the right spiritual leaders. What are some of their characteristics?

Their lives are open for all to see (verse 10a). Paul had nothing to hide. Like his Master, he could say, “In secret I have said nothing” (John 18:20). “My manner of life from my youth . . . all the Jews know,” Paul had told Agrippa (Acts 26:4). Timothy had lived and labored with Paul and knew the man well. Paul had not hidden behind extravagant claims or religious propaganda.

They teach true doctrine (verse 10b). “My doctrine” in Paul’s case meant the true faith, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. No matter how appealing a preacher may be, if he does not preach the truth of God’s Word, he does not deserve our support. On radio and TV today, we have a great deal of “pseudo-Christianity” which is a mixture of psychology, success motivation, and personality cults, with a little bit of Bible thrown in to make it look religious. Beware!

They practice what they preach (verse 10c). Paul’s “manner of life” backed up his messages. He did not preach sacrifice and then proceed to live in luxury. He gave to others far more than he received from them. He stood up for the truth even when it meant losing friends and, in the end, losing his life. Paul was a servant, not a celebrity.

Their purpose is to glorify God (verse 10d). There was never a question about Paul’s “purpose” in ministry: He wanted to do God’s will and finish the work God gave him to do (Acts 20:24; Philippians 1:21). The Apostle Paul was a man of “faith” who trusted God to meet his needs. He was a man of “longsuffering” who bore up under people’s attacks. He was a man of “love” who willingly gave himself to serve others.

The word “patience” at the end of this verse means “endurance, the ability to stick with it when the going gets tough.”

They are willing to suffer (verses 11-12). Paul did not ask others to suffer for him; he suffered for others. The fact that he was persecuted from city to city was proof that he was living a godly life. Some people today have the idea that godliness means escaping persecution, when just the opposite is true.

I wonder how Paul would match up with today’s concept of a Christian leader. He would probably fail miserably. If he applied for service with a modern mission board, would he be accepted? He had a prison record; he had a physical affliction; he stirred up problems in just about every place he visited. He was poor, and he did not cater to the rich. Yet God used him, and we are being blessed today because Paul was faithful.

To Be Continued

Adapted and modified excerpts from Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary Volume 2.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Where noted, Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV © 2011 by Biblica, Inc.
Used by permission. All rights reserved

Scripture Reference: 2 Timothy 3:1-17

Turn Away from the False – Continued

Please read 2 Timothy 3:1-9 for background to this section.

Their converts (verses 6–7). The fact that Paul described “gullible women” does not suggest that all women are like this, or that men are not vulnerable to the wiles of false teachers. In Paul’s day, women were especially susceptible to this kind of experience since they had a low status in society. Whether men or women, people who fall for this false religious system have the same characteristics.

They are burdened with guilt and looking for some escape from bondage and fear. They find themselves unable to control their “various lusts” and desires. The emphasis here may be on sexual problems. Finally, they are always searching for truth, trying this approach and that; yet they are never able to be satisfied. This kind of person is fair game for the cultists and the religious racketeers.

These false religious leaders take advantage of the problems people have, and promise them quick and easy solutions. They “worm their way in” and soon control people’s lives. It is not long before these leaders grab their followers’ loyalty, money, and service. And their “converts” are worse off than they were before. They still have their problems, but they have been duped into thinking that all is well.

Remember this as well: All of this underhanded activity is done in the name of religion! No wonder Paul told Timothy, “From such people turn away.”

Their religious leaders (verses 8–9). Take some time to read Exodus 7-9 for the record of the contest between Moses and the Egyptian magicians. Tradition says that the magicians were Jannes and Jambres, two men mentioned by Paul in this epistle to Timothy. These men opposed Moses by imitating what he did. When Aaron’s rod turned into a serpent, the magicians cast down their rods and they turned into serpents. Moses turned the water into blood, and the magicians followed with the same miracle. When Moses brought up all the frogs, the magicians duplicated the miracle. But when it came to the miracle of the lice, the magicians could not imitate it (Exodus 8:16-19).

Satan is an imitator; what God does, Satan counterfeits or tries to counterfeit. The religious leaders in the last days will have a counterfeit faith, and their purpose is to promote a lie and resist the truth of God’s Word. They deny the authority of the Bible and substitute human wisdom and philosophy. In their attempt to be “modern and progressive,” they deny the reality of sin and people’s need for salvation. “Disapproved [reprobate in the KJV],” is the word Paul used to describe them. This means “unprincipled, depraved” in other words, “tested and found to be counterfeit.”

Jannes and Jambres were finally exposed and made fools of by the judgments of God. This will also happen to false teachers and the leaders of false religions in the last days. When God’s judgments fall, the true character of these counterfeits will be revealed to everyone.

To Be Continued

Adapted and modified excerpts from Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary Volume 2.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Where noted, Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV © 2011 by Biblica, Inc.
Used by permission. All rights reserved

Scripture Reference: 2 Timothy 3:1-17

Turn Away from the False – Continued

Please read 2 Timothy 3:1-9 for background to this section.

In place of the natural love that God has put into men and women and families, today we have a good deal of unnatural love which God has condemned (see Romans 1:18-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10). It is confusion, and God will judge it (Romans 1:28-32).

Not only in homes, but out in society and the business world as well, the characteristics of these perilous times may be seen. “Unforgiving [trucebreakers]” describes people who will not try to agree. They are unyielding and irreconcilable and must have their own way.

In order to defend their position, they become “slanderers [false accusers]” and try to tear down the reputations of others. Unfortunately, some of this activity goes on even among professed Christians. “Christian leaders” accuse one another in the pages of their publications.

They are people “without self-control.” The motto of our society today is “Do your own thing and enjoy it!” It’s even the slogan of a famous sportswear company. However sad it is to say, some of the children born to the people who believe this motto, don’t always get to enjoy it because they are deformed or handicapped as the result of the drugs, alcohol, or venereal diseases that supposedly comes with “doing your own thing!”

This lack of self-control reveals itself in a number of ways. When these people cannot have their way, they become much like savage beasts, “brutal.” Instead of honoring what is good, they despise what is good and honor what is evil. In society today the standards of right and wrong have been turned upside down and backwards, twisted, if not destroyed. “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil,” cried Isaiah the prophet (Isaiah 5:20).

“Traitors” of course describes people who betray others and cannot be trusted. Neither friendship nor partnership makes any difference to them; they lie and break their promises whenever doing so helps them get their own way and progress with their own agendas.

“Headstrong” means “reckless, rash, acting without careful thought.” Paul did not condemn honest adventure, but foolish endeavor.

“Haughty [high-minded]” does not describe a person with lofty thoughts. Rather, it means a person who is “puffed up” with his importance. “Conceited” is a good synonym.

“Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” does not suggest that we must choose between pleasure and God; for when we live for God, we enjoy the greatest pleasures (Psalm 16:11). The choice is between loving pleasure or loving God. If we love God, we will also enjoy fullness of life here and forever; but the pleasures of sin can only last for a brief time (Hebrews 11:25). No one can deny that we live in a pleasure-mad world; but these pleasures too often are just shallow entertainment and escape; they are not enrichment and true enjoyment; they might bring temporary happiness due to circumstances, but they have no deepness of joy.

Paul stated that these people he has just described would consider themselves religious! “Having a form of godliness” suggests an outward appearance of religion, but not true Christian faith; for they have never experienced the power of God in their lives. Form without force. Religion without reality. Appearance without substance.

To Be Continued

Adapted and modified excerpts from Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary Volume 2.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Where noted, Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV © 2011 by Biblica, Inc.
Used by permission. All rights reserved

Scripture Reference: 2 Timothy 3:1-17

The emphasis in this chapter is on knowledge and responsibility. Paul informed Timothy about the character of the last days, and then instructed him on how to respond. Action must be based on knowledge. Too many Christians are like the pilot who informed his passengers, “We are lost, but we’re making very good time.”

“These last days” began with the ministry of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1-2) and will continue until He returns. They are called the “last days” because in them God is completing His purposes for His people. Because our Lord has delayed His return, some people scoff at the promise of His coming (2 Peter 3:3-9); but He will come as He promised.

Within this period of “last days” there will be “times” (seasons) of different kinds; but as the “times” draw to a close, they will become more and more “perilous.” This word means “dangerous, hard to deal with, savage.” This is the same Greek word that is used to describe the two violent demoniacs of Gadara (see Matthew 8:28). This suggests that the violence of the last times will be energized by demonic forces (1 Timothy 4:1).

There is no doubt that these characteristics started to appear in Paul’s day, and now they have increased in intensity and even more blatantly. It is not simply that we have more people in the world, or better news coverage. It appears that evil is deeper and of greater intensity, and that it is being accepted and promoted by society in a bolder way. It is not that we have small pockets of rebellion here and there. All of society seems to be in ferment and rebellion. We are indeed in “terrible times” (2 Timothy 3:1, NIV).

Paul gave Timothy three instructions to obey in order that his ministry might be effective during these perilous times in which we are most definitely living.

Turn Away from the False

Please read 2 Timothy 3:1-9 for background to this section.

“From such people turn away.” A faithful believer should have nothing to do with the people Paul described in this section. It is important to note that these people operate under the guise of religion: “Having a form of godliness but denying its power.” They are “religious” but rebellious! Paul discussed three facts about these people.

Their characteristics (verses 2-5). At least eighteen different characteristics are listed here, and Paul probably could have listed more. There is an emphasis on love: “lovers of themselves, lovers of money, . . . lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” The heart of every problem is a problem in the heart. God commands us to love Him supremely, and our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:34-40); but if we love ourselves supremely, we will not love God or our neighbors.

In this universe there is God, and there are people and things. We should worship God, love people, and use things. But if we start worshiping ourselves, we will ignore God and start loving things and using people. This is the formula for a miserable life; yet it characterizes many people today. The worldwide craving for things is just one evidence that people’s hearts have turned away from God.

Of course, if someone loves and worships himself, the result will be pride. “You will be like God” was Satan’s offer to Eve (Genesis 3:5), and the result was that people “exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:25). Man became his own god! The creature is now the creator! “Boasters, proud, blasphemers [given to contemptuous and bitter words].”

“Disobedient to parents” suggests that this apostasy reaches into the family. Children are “unthankful” and do not appreciate what their parents have done for them. They are “unholy” in their attitude toward their parents. “Honor your father and mother” (see Ephesians 6:2; Exodus 20:12) is not widely taught or respected.

The phrase “unloving [without natural affection]” is the translation of one word that describes “family love.” The family is under attack these days, and, as go its families, so goes the nation.

To Be Continued

Adapted and modified excerpts from Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary Volume 2.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Where noted, Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV © 2011 by Biblica, Inc.
Used by permission. All rights reserved

Scripture Reference: Mark 3:7-35

A New Family – Continued

Most people don’t want to be told they are helplessly held by Satan, but it is true nonetheless, and the Bible confirms it in other places, you are either a member of the Kingdom of God, or else of the domain of Satan. But the message of Mark’s Gospel, indeed of the whole of Scripture, is that Jesus Christ is more powerful than Satan. Driving out the demons proves that, and here He is on His way to the great battle, the battle of the Cross. Satan’s power over us, his claim on us, is that we are sinners, offenders against God. But when Jesus Christ went to the Cross He dealt with our sin and reconciled us to God. The sins are forgiven; the broken relationship is restored; and Satan’s claim on us is gone. So Jesus’ death on the Cross defeats Satan, the strong man, and Jesus comes in and rescues from Satan’s house everyone who will follow Him out of the prison. So, all of our sins will be forgiven.

Now it is time to meet His natural family. They have been on their way, and now they turn up, Mary, His natural mother, and her other sons. Presumably they know where to find Him because this is His regular base. They wrongly assume that if they send a messenger into the house, then Jesus will immediately drop whatever He is doing and emerge. That is what the culture of the time assumes. Inside, the house is crowded as usual; their message is passed along until it reaches Him, and soon everyone knows that His family is waiting outside.

Jesus, however, immediately responds with a distinctly odd question. Then He looks around. Now the house is crowded, but of course this is not the heaving crowd of thousands that we have seen with Jesus by the lakeside. This is a house in a fishing village; at most a few dozen people are within earshot and these are not all the sensation-seekers. These are people who want to sit and listen to His words, a predominately intimate group that consists of His core team of twelve with a wider group of others. In verses 34-35 Jesus gives His verdict. He looks at the group gathered round Him on the floor. Then He looks at the messenger at the door and speaks through him to the family gathered outside, and He essentially says, “You say they are outside looking for me? No, My true family have already found me. My true family are here, on the inside, doing what I teach.” It’s not so much that He is rejecting His natural family, though we should note that there is no special place given to Mary, His mother, here. But this is one more way that Jesus is overturning people’s assumptions, redrawing the boundaries. He is speaking to a nation who believe that family is above everything else. These people live and die by genealogies. They think God will accept them simply because two thousand years ago they had an ancestor called Abraham.

But, Jesus tells the people, (and therefore God’s true people) who truly are His:

“For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.”

God who is creating a new people that doesn’t depend on physical family ties, or on the nation you were born into, but only on those belonging to Jesus. It’s a family that will extend right around the world, into every country and across every boundary. It doesn’t divide people by their background, their color, or their race.

In every local church we have a small fragment of that bigger, global, family. It’s not perfect, because it’s full of people who still get things wrong from time to time. Sometimes bad things also happen in this family. But the good news is that the Head of this family is perfect. The day will finally come when we are too; we will see Jesus face to face, and He will look at us and say, “Yes, you are My brother, My sister.” In this family, we are united by ties much stronger, and far deeper, than those of even the closest human family. These ties are stronger than genetics, stronger than marriage, stronger than human love. They are ties based on Blood, but not ours. The life of this family begins with the Blood of Jesus.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved

Scripture Reference: Mark 3:7-35

A New Family – Continued

From Last Lesson: Rumors haven’t only reached Jesus’ family; the news about Jesus’ activities is now seriously worrying the temple authorities. They have a policy in their files for dealing with cases like His. So, according to their clear procedures, they now send a commission up north to Capernaum.

Now, probably after spending some weeks in the area, they have reached their conclusion. “Beelzebub,” is based on an Old Testament name for one of the ancient false gods of the region, now long-forgotten; but the name has hung on and is here being applied to Satan and his demons. Whereas the family and others have concluded that Jesus is mad, these religious experts declare Him to be possessed and inspired by evil. That, they claim, is how “He casts out demons.”

Notice that no one to this point, doubts the reality of what Jesus is doing. No one who is actually on the spot suggests that Jesus is using trickery, or faking the miracles. Still less is anyone coming up with the ridiculous idea that Jesus is nothing but a good man who is being misunderstood. No, the miracles are real; the exorcisms are real; what the experts lack is an explanation. They need to put something in their report! So because it is unthinkable that Jesus can be wielding the power of God, they are forced to attribute His power to the only other possible source, “the ruler of the demons” himself, Satan.

Now it’s not very difficult to show that this idea is absurd, and in verses 23-27 Jesus proceeds to do just that. He sets up a public confrontation to face the experts with the truth: “You say I’m possessed by an evil power? Very well, let me prove that’s wrong.”

“So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: ‘How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.’ ”

Yes, the accusation is absurd. But worse than that, it is unforgivable. Jesus is not bandying abstract ideas here, you see. What the religious experts have done is to label the work of God in Jesus Christ as demonic, as coming straight from the pit of hell. They have resolutely decided that the spiritual power behind all of Jesus’ works is not God’s Holy Spirit, but Satan. This is not some idle, throwaway remark; it is their careful and settled conclusion. Jesus responds in essence by saying, “If you say that, you are placing yourself right outside the scope of God’s forgiveness.” That is what the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is, a settled attitude of deliberate hostility against the work of God. Occasionally today you will meet Christians who are worried that they have committed this sin, either unintentionally, by making some rash remark, or deliberately before they knew Christ, and that therefore God can never forgive them. We can reassure anyone who thinks that: “If you are even the slightest bit worried about it, then rest assured, you haven’t done it.” This is a warning against setting yourself deliberately and resolutely to reject Christ when you have all the evidence before your eyes that He is real and true.

So His natural family think Jesus is mad; the delegation think He is inspired by evil, and there aren’t many other options left, not for people who really know about Him. Jesus Himself tells us what He is all about right in verse 27. It’s another little parable. The strong man is Satan; the one breaking in is Jesus Himself. This is precisely His mission; to break into Satan’s territory, to tie Satan down and to steal his possessions. He is not mad; He is not evil, and this is no civil war; rather this is an invasion of enemy territory. Satan’s possessions are the people of this world who are in his grip, even though they don’t know it. Jesus came to set those people free.

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved

Scripture Reference: Mark 3:7-35

Wanted: A New Family

In Mark 3:20-35 we are introduced directly to the family of Jesus, the new family that He came to establish, that we become part of when we surrender to, and follow Him. Having called the Twelve to Himself, Jesus now returns to town. He is most likely back at His Capernaum base, and maybe this is once more the house we have been in before, first in chapter 1 and then again in chapter 2. Not surprisingly, He will have to face His opponents again as well as the crowds. The fact that opposition now also comes from His own human family must have hurt. It is against this background of false accusations, of blindness and hostility towards Jesus, that He shows us whom He considers to be His true family.

The story focuses around two ideas about Jesus, the first from Jesus’ physical family, who think He is most likely mad, “out of His mind,” and the second from the religious authorities, who think He is possessed by evil. Jesus and His team are so busy that they don’t have time for a “lunch-break.” It is quite possible to read the report in verse 21 as, “His own people were saying He is out of his mind.”  In other words, a rumor is doing the rounds that Jesus is mad. Thus His own family members have come to that conclusion. Either way, it is the family who feel that they have no choice but to come and take Him away. Yes, Jesus is a thirty-year-old man who is living an independent life, but in a culture where the honor of the family is so vital, they simply have to follow up on stories like this. It is a question of honor or shame, just as it is in the Middle East even today. Presumably it is what Jesus has been saying, the claims He has been making, that has led people to say that He is mad. After all, He has been claiming to forgive people’s sins in His own name! (Mark 2:5). He has been announcing that, now He has arrived, God is in action again, doing new things, in fact, God’s longed-for Kingdom is here because He has arrived.

Interestingly, it seems that the final straw is the report that Jesus isn’t getting regular meals. Like many mothers, Mary is probably most concerned that her eldest son should be eating properly! So the family set off, and they will appear again shortly.

This is in fact the first example in the Gospel of bracketing, a device Mark uses to illustrate one story by means of another. There is a striking example in chapter 11, where the cursing of the fig tree is an acted parable illustrating the downfall of the temple. In this case Mark is highlighting the fact that Jesus’ own natural family do no understand Him any better (at least at this point in His ministry) than His religious adversaries.

Meanwhile, the religious leaders are getting in on the act. We have seen before that Jesus’ opponents have watched Him closely, even setting traps for Him (see Mark 3:1-6), but here it is absolutely clear that He is faced by a special commission of inquiry sent down from headquarters in Jerusalem. Rumors haven’t only reached His family; the news about Jesus’ activities is now seriously worrying the temple authorities. They have a policy in their files for dealing with cases like this. So, according to their clear procedures, they now send this commission up north to Capernaum, about eighty miles away. Possibly they are enquiring whether the whole town needs to be declared apostate, that is, rejecting God, but certainly they are given the task of drawing a clear conclusion about Jesus Himself.

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved

Scripture Reference: Mark 3:7-35

The Call – Continued

From Last Lesson: The disciple’s job will be to cover the ground in a way in which no single individual, no matter how powerful and persuasive, could ever do.

This is the beginning of the church. When Jesus calls people today, He calls them into the same mission. People sometimes ask if He has given us the same authority, even over demons, that He gave the disciples. Demons figure prominently in Jesus’ ministry because it was His unique mission to confront Satan and defeat Him; Jesus’ appearance on earth seems to have drawn out demonic opposition on a massive scale that has never been seen before or since. Yet demons still exist today. We don’t expect to meet them very often, but we should not be shocked when we do. If we belong to this new people, the church, then we too have the authority of Jesus over the spiritual powers, including Satan himself when he tempts us or tells us we are useless. Although the first disciples’ position was unique, there is a sense in which every Christian is part of the Twelve.

Now let’s take a closer look at the twelve Jesus calls at first (see verses 16-19). Even “Judas” has his part to play in God’s purposes. Some of them have extra names, nicknames, and they are very significant. This is not a gallery of heroes, at least not yet. Simon is called “Peter,” meaning “the (small) rock.” Jesus calls him that because he is going to be a strong foundation of the new people, the church, one day! For now, though, the name is somewhat ironic, for Peter is one of the most unstable people you will meet. The brothers “James . . . and John,” whom He nicknamed “Sons of Thunder,” explosive hotheads who can create a violent argument out of thin air. The other “Simon, the Canaanite,” also known as Simon, the Zealot. The “zealots” later become an organized extremist group, who in forty years’ time will lead the revolt against the Romans, a sort of first-century Hezbollah whose tactics include mingling with the crowds, sidling up to suspected collaborators and sticking daggers in their backs. That organized violence still lies in the future, but it shows where Simon’s sympathies lie. Simon now finds himself in the same group as “Matthew,” or Levi, the former tax collector and collaborator. To put it mildly, the Twelve are indeed a motley crew . . . unqualified, untraveled, untrained, yet called by Jesus to be the founding fathers of the church. With them He will turn the world upside down.

Today however, many who admire Jesus are content to remain in the crowd. They never do hear the call and climb the mountainside. The crowd is a comfortable place to be. You don’t have to commit yourself to anything when you’re lost in the crowd. You can turn up in Galilee to watch Jesus do His thing, but then you can walk away. We need to show people that it’s not enough to be part of the crowd. We have to come to Him on His terms, in His way, when we do hear Him call. Unlike the man watching Jean François at Niagara Falls, we have to turn our admiration into faith. If we have heard the call and have responded to it, then verses 13-18 remind us what we are called to: to be “with Him,” intimately, surrendered, and not as nodding acquaintances, but to know Him. And we are called to ministry, to serve others, just like the original Twelve.

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved

Scripture Reference: Mark 3:7-35

The Crowd – Continued

Down by the lakeshore they find Jesus healing; the picture is that of a dense multitude, as people struggle to get close enough to touch Him so that they will be healed. They find Him also driving out demons. Sceptics think that all this talk of demons is just some primitive description of mental illness: these simple first-century types didn’t understand about schizophrenia or epilepsy, they say, and so they put it all down to demons. But we read here that the demons speak articulate words as Jesus drives them out. Also, these are not just any words, no, it is only the demons at this point who have an accurate view of Jesus’ identity (see Mark 1:34). Jesus refuses to accept their testimony, not because it is inaccurate, but because the only confession He wants is from the mouth of someone who understands and who submits to His authority with delight, not terror. So Jesus is healing and driving out demons, but above all He wants to speak, to teach. We know from the first chapters that this is His top priority, and we know it here because of verse 9. Why does Jesus need to have a boat on standby? Clearly, not so that He can heal; He usually heals through touch. Not so that He can drive out demons, either; He accomplishes that also, from close up. The only reason He could need a boat is to speak without constant interruption. From a boat a few yards out on the lake He can probably get better acoustics, and He can certainly pull back from the encompassing crowd. Jesus’ priority is to teach people about the Kingdom of God. He drives out demons to prove that the Kingdom is here, but nothing will make sense to people unless they can hear and understand what it is all about.

So much for the crowd. They have come from far and near, converging on the figure standing at the lakeside. The crowd is drawn by the headline-grabbing healings and exorcisms and, sadly, their testimony about Jesus is not much more helpful than that of the demons. The crowds in Galilee always like Jesus, but for most of them it never goes much beyond that. They remain outsiders.

The Call

Now for the call. Look at verse 13. Mark tells us that Jesus calls the ones He wants to come into His presence and be near Him. In the Greek there is a very strong emphasis on the word “He.” The crowd may want Jesus for all sorts of reasons, but overwhelmingly it is for what they can get. But Jesus calls for the people he wants.

Mark points out that He then appoints “twelve.” Why twelve? He has just broken with the leaders of the old religion, which is based on the nation of Israel. Israel had twelve founding fathers, and now Jesus begins to create His new people, “the Israel of God” (Galatians 6:16), also with twelve founding fathers. This is the beginning of the church. On that Galilean mountainside the church of Christ appears in embryo, and this is its very first meeting.

Verses 14-15 explain why they are called. First, they are to “be with him,” for they are to spend time with Jesus, getting to know Him intimately, for Himself, learning all that He has to teach them, seeing how He lives right up close. They will know Him as those crowds never will. Secondly, they will be sent “out to preach” about Him and to announce that the Kingdom of God has come. Their job will be to cover the ground in a way in which no single individual, no matter how powerful and persuasive, could ever do. They will multiply the presence of Jesus twelvefold and in their turn bring others to know Him too. Thirdly, they will walk in His “authority” and “power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons.”

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved

Scripture Reference: Mark 3:7-35

In 1859 the great circus performer and tightrope walker whose name was Jean François Gravelet, came to Niagara Falls. I don’t know how he managed this, but he set up a rope 1,150 feet long that stretched right across the top of the falls. Using a long balancing pole for assistance, he proceeded to walk across. That amazing act would have sufficed for most people, but not so for Jean François. Over the next year or so he undertook the crossing about a dozen more times under the gaze of ever larger crowds. It is said that hundreds of thousands of people watched him as he walked across: blindfolded, then pushing a wheelbarrow, and then with a stove, stopping in the middle to cook an omelet. As more and more people heard about these spectacular performances, the crowds continued to come from far and wide.

When people in Galilee heard about Jesus and His spectacular miracles, the crowds also continued to grow. They came from far and wide. Many enjoyed watching; many came along for the thrill; but far fewer were willing to step out of the crowd. Even today, all sorts of people hear about Jesus and are impressed. But only a small number of them are willing to hear His call and place their lives in His hands.

Wanted: A Crowd or a Call?

In these verses, we find Jesus deliberately withdrawing from the towns where the opposition, up to this point, has been concentrated. He cannot spend His whole time dealing with them. Mark’s geographical notes are usually significant; here he is telling us that, by leaving His enemies behind, Jesus is symbolically breaking with the old established religion. He takes Himself off to the familiar territory of the lakeshore. The local crowd come with Him, but is it really a crowd that Jesus wants? In verses 7-19 we see the difference between a crowd and a call. Once again the spotlight will shine on us, the readers: what is our response to Jesus? Are we only to be admiring onlookers, or are we going to hear the call and place our lives in His hands?

The Crowd

In verses 7-12 we see the crowd. News has spread fast. Although Jesus has told people not to go spreading stories about Him, He has not been obeyed (Mark 1:45). As a result, Jesus is faced by huge crowds wherever He goes, many of whom are little more than sensation-seekers. The places listed in the 8^th verse, cover almost every point of the compass and include Gentile areas as well as Jewish. There are Judea and its capital Jerusalem to the south; Tyre and Sidon to the north; the Transjordanian lands (such as the Decapolis mentioned in Mark 7:31) to the east; and Idumea, or Edom, to the south-east. Jesus will later visit most of them in person. These places are fairly far away, at least in times when nearly everyone has to travel on foot, and clearly all this doesn’t happen on a single day. These verses describe developments which probably take place over several weeks.

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved