And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

Mark 4:35-41

And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Mark 4:37-38

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, I focus on an unassisted review of Mark 4:35-41, which is the text for the next chapter of the commentary. Observations of the text based on the Sword Bible Study Method: 

• What do we learn from the passage about God?: Jesus, as the incarnate Son of God experienced all of what we as His creation experienced, including hunger, thirst and feelings of exhaustion and fatigue.  He was so tired in v37 that He was able to sleep on the boat during a "great windstorm." God of course knew about the storm as He is all-knowing - so this was part of a design to use the storm as a teaching moment about the disciples lack of faith during the storm.  Jesus tells us to build our house on a rock such that when the storm arrives we are not shaken. See also Matthew 7:24-27, Luke 6:46-49. 
• What do we learn from the passage about people?: The disciples had already witnessed several of Jesus' miracles so they knew about His power but when He calmed the storm they were astonished that He had that much power to calm the wind and sea (v41).  This shows an incomplete understanding of who Jesus is - in fairness Jesus' ministry was just getting rolling.  However, for believers of today, we should strive to have as complete an understanding of who Jesus is now - prior to meeting Him face to face upon our death or when He returns.  We need to have a hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matthew 5:6) and to seek Him with all of our heart. 
• Is there anything from the passage God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?):  Jesus wants us to follow His example of weathering trials by having a steadfast faith...there will be waves or ups and downs of life but we can be steadied by being anchored to our faith in Christ and by resting in His promises (that always come true - 2 Corinthians 1:20).  We should avoid worry - see also Matthew 6:25-34. 

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is our Rock and Salvation - we can rest and take refuge in You.  Thank You Jesus for the help You provide to steady our faith.  I am not deserving of my salvation, nor how richly You bless.  My sins are great and they continue...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love other as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.

Mark 4:1-20

And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold. Mark 4:8

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, I focus on an unassisted review of Mark 4:1-20, which is the text for the next chapter of the commentary. Observations of the text based on the Sword Bible Study Method: 

Here Jesus teaches us the Parable of the Sower - also found in Matthew 13 and Luke 8.  

• What do we learn from the passage about God?: God seeks a relationship with us, so He gives us His Word and provides teachers for us to know God and to build a relationship with us.  V1 describes how God prioritizes teaches and emphasizes that when He is with the lost, yes He seeks to heal physically and draw people to Him, but most importantly He is seeking believers and followers who know, follow and are obedient to Him.  God is also compassionate and patient in His teaching helping us understand, recognizing that it often takes time to comprehend what He is teaching - our journey with God is one of steps over a lifetime as a believer.  
• What do we learn from the passage about people?: People can be wooed by signs and wonders but this must be followed by faith and belief in God such that we ask God into our hearts to cultivate and fan the flame of faith such that we grow closer to Him through daily study of His Word, corporate worship, prayer, service, and other spiritual disciplines.  Satan and sin can distract us (v15), weak faith fails us during periods of persecution/hardship (vv16-17), and desires/cares of this world "choke the word" (v19).  We are told to build our faith on solid rock to withstand storms (Matthew 7:24-27, Luke 6:47-49) and to not become friends of the world (James 4:4).
• Is there anything from the passage God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey)?: As previously stated we should build our house on rock by cultivating strong spiritual disciplines and avoiding friendship with the world (or allowing sinful desires and influences from overcoming us or choking the word).  If we cultivate these spiritual disciplines we are promised to bear fruit (vv8, 20).  See also John 15:1-10. 

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My Prayer: Father God You are an awesome God who loves me and who gives me Your Word, the Holy Spirit, the church, and so much more so that I can know You, love You, grow closer to You, and to further the sanctification process bringing about greater obedience.  Thank You!  I am not deserving of my salvation, nor any of the other unbelievable blessings You pour out for me. My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

[H]e said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.

Mark 3:1-6

[H]e said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. Mark 3:3-5

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, I focus on a commentary-assisted review of Mark 3:3-5, which is the text for the second (of three) division per the commentary.  Excerpts from the commentary for the first division:

• "There will be no retreat in His message and no backing down in His actions. With the courage of His convictions, He will press forward, obedient to the will of God regardless of the consequences. Note the example He provides for us."
• "The ravages of the curse are reversed as a foretaste of life in the kingdom when “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will no longer exist; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, because the previous things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4)."
• "Jesus actually fulfills the intent and heart of the Mosaic law. He will make this clear when He answers a scribe who asked, 'Which command is the most important of all?' (Mark 12:29-31)."
• "In this act of mercy, Jesus loves His Father by expressing God’s character and compassion toward this man, who is undoubtedly one of God’s precious creatures. Likewise, He loves this man through His kind, healing touch. The Pharisees knew nothing of this love and thus were far from fulfilling the law of Moses."
• "Sometimes in life and ministry we must confront and provoke others. It is neither easy nor fun. However, sometimes it is necessary, especially when the right thing is not being said or done. Here Jesus raises the right question given the situation of the man and the foolish regulations of the Pharisees[.]"
• "It is both shocking and sad to think that the Pharisees could not correctly respond. Their silence condemns them, and it reveals a tragic flaw in their theology concerning the nature of our God—a God of grace and mercy, love and compassion."
• "Pride is dangerously deceitful, and it, unlike any other sin, provoked our Lord to righteous anger. It was right for Him to feel that way with the Pharisees, and it is right for Him to feel that way today, for pride still deceives us all."    

As the commentary shares, standing firm in Truth while doing good or being obedient in any of God's commands, sometimes requires great courage.  In this particular case, God seeks for us to demonstrate compassion and do good.  On other occasions, God wants us to share His position on matters such as marriage, abortion, etc.  For some this requires incredible courage in the face of physical danger - the ministry that comes to mind is Voice of the Martyrs that focuses on supporting those in parts of the world means imprisonment, harsh punishments, or even death for those that share the gospel or otherwise practice their faith publicly.  See also Matthew 7:24-27 where Jesus encourages us to have faith with a strong foundation, one that does not shake or fall.  We must remain in Him for Him to remain in us - see John 15:4-11.    

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of incredible grace and compassion for me - even when I don't have compassion on others.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of my salvation, nor the grace and mercies that You pour out for me daily.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus.  Help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Mark 12:34

And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions. Mark 12:34

I continue my study of The Character of Jesus.  For this morning, I focus on chapter 7: The Poise of Jesus where I highlighted in my Kindle version the following excerpts:

• Poise is defined as "the fine balance of [one's] faculties, the equilibrium of [one's] nature."
• "The average man is one-sided, unsymmetrical, unevenly developed....We are all overdeveloped on one side of our nature and underdeveloped on the other....If we are strong in certain characteristics, we are well-nigh certain to be weak in the opposite characteristics."
  
•  "Every virtue when pushed beyond its appointed limit becomes a vice, and every grace when overdeveloped becomes a defect and disfiguration. Look around upon the men and women that you know, and in how many of them can you say that their disposition is finely balanced?"
  
• "[W]hen we come to Jesus we find ourselves in the presence of a man without a flaw. He was enthusiastic, blazing with enthusiasm, but he never became fanatical. He was emotional, men could feel the throbbing of his heart, but he never became hysterical. He was imaginative, full of poetry and music, seeing pictures everywhere, throwing upon everything he touched a light that never was on land or sea, the inspiration and the poet's dream — but he was never flighty. He was practical, hard-headed, matter of fact, but he was never prosaic, never dull. His life always had in it the glamour of romance. He was courageous but never reckless, prudent but never a coward, unique but not eccentric, sympathetic but never sentimental. Great streams of sympathy flowed from his tender heart toward those who needed sympathy, but at the same time streams of lava flowed from the same heart to scorch and overwhelm the workers of iniquity. He was pious, but there is not a trace about him of sanctimoniousness....He stands in history as the one man beautiful, symmetrical, absolutely perfect."
• "He lived always in a whirlwind, — men bent like reeds around him, — he never so much as wavered....The intellectual athletes of his time tried to trip Him — they never did....After they had done their best they retired vanquished from the field. He remained undisputed conqueror." 
  
•  "Time and again the evil one came to him with a new allurement, but every time he hurled the tempter back by quoting just the passage of Scripture which that temptation needed."
  
• "On the last Tuesday of his life they determined to undo him. All the different parties united their forces and put their heads together and concocted schemes by means of which this young prophet should be brought to prison."  Jesus' response in Mark 12:17 tied the hands of His captors. 
• "It is an interesting fact that notwithstanding Jesus was speaking constantly in public for three years, not one of his enemies was able to catch him in his speech, and when at last they convicted him they had to do it on a trumped-up lie....This also is noteworthy that not one of the enemies of Jesus was able by unfairness or falsehood or hatred to push Jesus into a hasty word or an unrighteous mood. Most men are so poorly balanced you can push them with very little pressure into an unmanly speech, into an unchristian disposition. Jesus was so firmly poised that under the pressure of the most venomous vituperation that has ever been hurled against a man, he stood erect, unmoved, and unmovable. His poise was divine." 
  
• "Because he is so well balanced and so finely poised, each succeeding generation comes back to him for inspiration." 
  
• "There is a grace about him which does not fade, there is a sanity about him which compels respect, there is a charm about him which woos and wins the heart, and we like preceding generations fall down before-him acknowledging that his character is without a flaw and that his life is without a blemish."
  

Jesus' poise and His steadiness of mood calls to mind how Jesus was a rock.  That regardless of what verbal or physical abuse was thrown at Him, He was unmoved from who He is to become something He was not - sinful in His response.  He did not become full of fear when scripture says be courageous or do not be anxious.  He did not lash out with vengeance when He was insulted or beaten - He could have at any moment as He held all of his enemies' lives in His hands.  Scripture tells us to turn the other cheek when our enemies strike us - Jesus never did.  This is clearly an attribute I have never seen from anyone else I have ever met.  Our faith requires us to be unmoved by the vagaries of the world.  Jesus tells us that we can rest knowing that He has already overcome the world - see John 16:33.  We must build our house on the rock - see Matthew 7:24-27.  Rock on!

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an incredible God who loves me and who is full of incredible grace and compassion for me - You provide Your Word and Your promises which always come true.  You guide and keep me from falling into eternal damnation.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of Your unchanging nature and Your faithfulness to me.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.   Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.