Ghosts of Pride and Ignorance ...

Word of mouth, or a good recommendation from someone you know, might be the best publicity out there.  No matter how it comes to you, the opinion of someone you know and perhaps trust, will outweigh what billboards, or advertising, or any other paid medium can offer.  When we connect with someone, understand where they are coming from, have memories of shared experiences, it gives us a much better context for something they like when they recommend it to us.  This is a basic human phenomenon that has existed long before mobility gave us pictures, and 140 characters to disseminate data to our collection of friends.  In the time of Christ, it was the only vehicle for spreading the good news.  The fame of Jesus was spreading widely already, but instituting His followers and sending them out 2-by-2 had exponentially increased the word of mouth regarding the Messiah.  Instead of only Jesus performing miracles on a grand scale, now 12 other followers were doing it too.  At this rate, there would hardly be a demon-possession or sick person left in all of Israel.  The nation itself was moving from weakness to strength in so short a time, every disciple was certain the Messiah was soon to fulfill the mission they all believed He came for … to become our earthly King.

But there was already a king of the Jews, or at least a tetrarch.  Herod Antipas, was still formally in charge of Israel (or this part of Galilee).  The Romans had dispatched a governor to maintain military discipline, but continued to honor their original agreement with Herod the Great, dividing his kingdom into three parts at his death and letting his sons rule in each section of the greater Palestine area.  Herod Antipas in our section had no great military ambition, and was more focused on insuring a relative peace, in order to maintain his rule, than to see it given over to one of his brothers Archelaus or Phillip, or another Roman puppet altogether.  He spent the majority of his life attempting to maintain what he had been given.  But this Herod Antipas had grown up in Israel, he had learned from his father who was familiar with Jewish scripture.  Herod remembered the act of his father murdering the baby boys up to 2 years old in Bethlehem to prevent the coming Messiah and deny scripture its fulfillment.  Herod’s son Antipas developed an intelligence network to keep an “eye” on goings on that may indicate the Messiah had come anyway.  And this intelligence network yielded its first real person of interest in the form of John the Baptist.

The scribes, priests, Rabbi’s, Pharisees and Sadducees; basically the entire ruling class, was easy enough for Herod Antipas to deal with.  They were greedy and power hungry themselves, so their motives were easy to read, and their actions followed their hearts.  They may have spoken about religion and tradition, but their focus had nothing to do with the changing of hearts or minds, only of maintaining the flow of offerings to the Temple (and themselves by proxy).  The laws of Moses were generally restrictive in nature, and where Moses had left off, the Temple traditions had added a whole host of further restrictions required in order to achieve piety.  These additional man-made restrictions also greatly increased the profitability of the Temple (and its servants).  So this very corrupted religious institution was well known to Herod, and he never paid it that much credence.  When his brother Phillip’s wife caught his eye; when she clearly made it known, she wanted Antipas, not her husband Phillip, Herod decided too many restrictions prevent happiness and he took her home with him.  In the eyes of Herod Antipas, taking a woman who wants to be taken is hard to call a sin, particularly if he was willing to marry her as well, and treat her like a wife.  After all, Herod was not establishing a multi-wife situation, he was only stealing one.

Herodias however, came with Phillip’s daughter Salome.  She had baggage, but the apple did fall far from the tree and Salome had a reputation for excellence at exotic dancing.  Herod Antipas was now quite comfortable.  He the wife of his choosing, despite some regrettable acquisition details.  He had the clergy under his thumb.  He had the people relatively calm.  Then came John the Baptist.  John was unlike the hypocrites Herod was familiar with.  John was real.  He lived in humility and preached it.  He had no monetary ambitions, and Herod’s spies quickly figured out that John was not looking to become king of anything, so he was no threat; at least no military threat.  John however, was endowed with the Holy Spirit and his preaching was powerful and convicting.  In fact, Herod secretly went to hear John preach, and despite John’s call for repentance, Herod “heard him gladly”.  Herod liked John.  He liked his authenticity.  He liked the power in his message.  He did not even mind when John called him out on it not being lawful to have his brother Phillip’s wife as his own.  Herod knew John was right, and because of his admiration for John, he was OK with it.  He was not ready to give her up, but he knew John was right, Herod was sinning against his brother Phillip.

Herodias however, was NOT OK with it.  She wanted John dead, and would have gotten it right away, but her husband had zero intention of putting innocent blood on his own hands, particularly of someone he admired.  But that is exactly what happened because of pride, and of ignorance.  After being sent out 2-by-2 the disciples uncovered this story.  Peter recalls to John Mark in his gospel in chapter six beginning in verse 14 saying … “And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.”  Herod’s first response reflected both fear, and hope.  He imagined that the great miracles going on in Israel, the idea that the disciples were also healing and casting out demons, might mean that John the Baptist had risen from the dead and was responsible for all of this.  Perhaps John would forgive Herod for his death.  After all, both Andrew and John the beloved, were both originally disciples of John the Baptist.  And 2 other disciples were their brothers including Peter.  So at least 4 disciples had direct connections to John the Baptist, and it was through the Baptist that they had met Christ.  To Herod this idea made good sense.

But despite wishful thinking on Herod’s part, it was not a risen John the Baptist, nor any ghost version of him that was behind the miraculous transformation of Israel from extreme weakness to extreme strength.  Herod’s intelligence network and the people at large had other ideas.  John Mark continues in verse 15 saying … “Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets.”  The coming of Elias (or Elijah) had also been prophesied, and perhaps he or one of his other contemporaries had arisen in Israel.  The question raised was the most key issue then and now.  Who exactly is Jesus Christ?  If Jesus is only a prophet, then His divinity is moot, and our salvation along with it.  If Jesus is only a good teacher, an upright man, then His life is no more meaningful than any other good soul who has ever lived.  But if Jesus is the only Son of God, then there can be no salvation from our desire to sins, outside of coming to Him in surrender.  This has been, and always will be the key question every man must answer for himself, who is Jesus Christ.  Herod remained unconvinced of these other theories.

John Mark continues in verse 16 saying … “But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead.”  This was Herod’s greatest wish.  He wanted John back from the dead.  He wanted to be forgiven for making John a headless corpse.  He, like Saul of old, wanted to hear a word from the Lord from the mouth of His prophet.  But Herod had made himself blind to the fact that he could have word directly with the Lord who truly was responsible for the miracles everyone was reporting.  This set of scripture begins with Herod’s recognition of the name of Jesus Christ being reported to him.  But Herod twisted the identity of Jesus, transforming Him into a risen John instead; because that idea made Herod happier.  If Jesus was not John, then John remained dead, and Herod figured he could never be forgiven.  How like us.  We attempt to transform God into the image we want, in order to gain acceptance for the sins we commit, instead of seeking forgiveness and transformation from them altogether.

Peter then recalls the story of John the Baptist that he and the other disciples had uncovered in their mission of ministry.  Mark transcribes it beginning in verse 17 saying … “For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her. [verse 18] For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.”  No whore likes being called that.  John the Baptist had out’d Herodias as being an adulteress.  John had made it known to Herod, it was a sin to keep her.  And Herodias had no intention of being sent back to Phillip, or kicked out on the street.  John posed a threat, and she wanted him dead.  So after nagging Herod to death, likely withholding sex, and making his life miserable, Herod finally agreed to put John in prison, where at least he could not publicly call her a whore anymore.  Even though Herod would still regularly visit John there.  Mark continues in verse 19 saying … “Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not: [verse 20] For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.”

Herod “did many things” based on the preaching and message of John the Baptist.  Herodias perceived the threat as being even greater to her, now that John was in prison where Herod could see him regularly.  In fact scripture says that Herod “heard him gladly”.  Herod embraced the true message of repentance John was preaching.  He did not make him shut up, instead he wanted more.  He began to reform his actions because of it.  Herodias rightly reasoned, that if this kept up, she would be back in Phillips home, or out on the street in no time at all.  Something had to be done.  Mark continues in verse 21 saying … “And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; [verse 22] And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. [verse 23] And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.”

So there are a few things to consider in this sequence of events.  First, it is highly likely Herod was not getting any with Herodias because she still wanted John dead.  So as a gesture to put Herodias in her place, Herod asks her talented daughter to dance at his party for him.  This was meant to further un-nerve Herodias, and it worked at first.  But Ghosts are created by pride, and exist in ignorance.  Herod had made his birthday celebration a public one with only the ruling class of important attendees.  Where better to show off his niece’s dancing skills, and the wealth and privilege he had amassed.  Word of mouth was important, perhaps more so in his own day.  And the word of a king had to be trusted and absolute, or the monarchy would degenerate into chaos.  But parties then and now, are opportunities for people to let their hair down, and have a good time.  Herod would not be driving so why not take in a little wine, and add drunkenness to the enjoyment of the day.  Drunkenness was another one of those restrictions the Rabbi’s were always making too much of anyway.  But in this condition, it seemed reasonable to offer the dancer anything she wanted.  It would be another slight to her mother for not being willing to keep Herod entertained.  Herod’s lack of clarity of mind, clouded his judgment, and he over-promised, not thinking what she might ask for.

John Mark records what happened next in verse 24 saying … “And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. [verse 25] And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist.”  Salome was no innocent, she was the daughter of a whore, and appeared to have taken up the family profession.  She had succeeded in arousing the passion of the king, who was thinking to buy her intimacies later this evening for his birthday.  But Salome would ultimately share the fate of her mother.  If her mother were sent back to Phillip or cast out on the street, she would follow.  John the Baptist did not tolerate partial sins, he was looking to free his audience from all of them.  Herod could not marry his niece any more than he could lawfully steal her mother.  So if the threat of John persisted, she would be cast out as well.  She did not argue with mom, or even suggest an alternative, rather she embellished her demands by wanting John’s head in a basket for her to toy with.  She returned to the king “straightway with haste”.  Not tempted by immediate rewards like jewels or wealth or land, she would rather play the long game and terminate the threat of John, so ultimately she could inherit it all.

Mark records the outcome in verse 26 saying … “And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. [verse 27] And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, [verse 28] And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother.”  Ghosts are created by pride.  The king had sworn an oath.  He could have argued with her.  He could have simply refused her, and had her executed herself from making such a request.  If he was worried about maintaining his power, that would have sent a strong message to those in attendance.  But Herod was weak in sexual matters.  This is how Herodias gained entrance into his home in the first place.  It was now, his weakness that would submit to his pride, and end the life of the only holy man he knew, and admired. 

Herod was “exceeding sorry”.  The repentance John had been preaching was now fully in the heart of Herod, but alas his pride remained greater.  The daughter of the whore, took the head to her mother, and despite his weakness, Herod would not want to be seduced any further on this birthday, he had already lost too much.   It was in this context, that Herod so desperately wanted to believe that Jesus was a risen John.  He wanted a second chance.  He wanted to undo the consequences of his sins.  But Herodias and Salome had remained in his home, and in his heart, and in his weakness.  So while Herod preferred a better Ghost story, he had denied himself access to the only person who had the power to free him from his sinful and addictive desires.  By denying the identity of Jesus Christ, Herod had cut himself off from his only cure.  When later Herod would be given power over the fate of Christ, his only interest would be in seeing a miracle for himself.  By then the corrupting influence of the whores in his life, would have sapped all the repentance he had ever felt when listening to John.

Peter contacted Andrew and John to collect the remains as Mark writes in verse 29 … “And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.”  Herod released the body to the disciples of John the Baptist, but never bothered to know who it was they served now.  His interest in Jesus would only be if it could confirm what he wanted Jesus to be.  Finding out directly from the disciples that his theories of God were incorrect was not something he wanted to hear.  Are we any different?  When we concoct our images of who God is, do we craft Him in our image instead of the other way around?  Do we attempt to rationalize or minimize the effects and consequences of our sins, instead of seeking a freedom from them in the first place?  It would have been hard for Herod to let go the love of his life, and the seductress of his bedroom.  It was harder still for Solomon of old, to let go 600 wives, 900 concubines, and nearly 4000 of his own children and keep only one… but that is what he did when his conversion finally took hold.  It was hard for Abraham to lose Sarah.  But life goes on.  And Herod could have trusted in God to find him a helpmate that was good for him not only sexually, but spiritually. 

If Herod had been willing to trust his sexuality in the hands of His God, the outcome of his life might have been an order of magnitude better.  To experience real love is far cry better than lust that masquerades as love.  To know intimacy not only with a woman, but a woman who is equally intimate with God, allows God a level of access into our family units that is how it was intended to be.  Herodias and her daughter were not fans of God, they were his enemy.  They used their feminine powers of seduction to get what they wanted, but were incapable of intimacy with God or man, because they had cut themselves off from the source of love and intimacy.  We are quick to criticize Herod for his pride, lack of judgment, and willingness to sin for sex.  But we are slow to look into the mirror, and lay the love of our lives on the same altar of our God.  We are slow to pledge to God ahead of our own sexual interests.  Instead like Herod, we want both.  We want a religion and set of restrictions than is not too tight for us to enjoy what we have, instead of being open to so much more that God might have in mind for us.  Our sin limits us, it does not free us.  Our sins enslave us, and keep us bound to pain and mediocrity, instead of allowing our God to offer us His boundless treasures that no one can take away.

Perhaps the only real winner in this tragedy is Phillip.  Phillip was rid of the whore who masqueraded as his wife.  While he lost his daughter as well, perhaps Phillip feared she too was beyond the desire for redemption.  Perhaps were Antipas would not accept the identity of Christ, Phillip might be better inclined to listen.  At least he would be free of the corrupting influence of a woman who knows the boundaries of lust, but has yet to discover the bliss of love.  If we are to live differently than Herod, and see another outcome in our lives, we must begin to trust God with our MOST cherished possessions, the core of who we are.  We need the Lord in our homes, in our hearts, in our bedrooms, and at the core of our marriages.  If we shut God out of these things, we deny ourselves the potential for bliss He so longs to give us.  Better the bliss of God, than the counterfeit his enemy offers that brings only pain and regret.  Let us make no Ghosts from pride, and let none exist from our willful ignorance.

Opportunity Knocks ...

In our modern age, door-to-door sales teams have all but disappeared.  Gone are the days of milk man deliveries and vacuum cleaner salesmen.  What remains are the occasional missionaries, and student laborers attempting to “earn money for their schools” and themselves.  It always was a difficult job, and with so many families requiring the income from 2 wage earners just to survive, there are few people at home even able to take in a sales call, let alone willing to listen.  In the age of social media, we prefer less physical contact, and more electronic.  Mobility allows us to communicate at our leisure, no longer tethered to long spiraling phone cords attached to handsets of touch tone phones.  We are free to interact with significantly more people, across significantly higher distances, for significantly less time.  Personal relationships now occur mostly at home with our families, and at work where physical proximity is still something that cannot be escaped.  So in this climate, how does Christ appear at the door of our hearts and knock?  How do we introduce to others what we have learned, as His disciples were commissioned to do so long ago?

Like any good sales pitch, it all begins in what it is you are trying to sell.  What is it you have to offer?  Would you buy what you’re selling?  Why?  A product based on distant fears, avoiding some future calamity that no one can prove is even real seems like it would have a very low target audience.  Likewise, a product based on the promise of some utopian rewards that no one has ever seen, or can ever prove even exists seems like yet another slim market share to seek out.  Yet this is how traditional evangelism has presented the gospel … but wait … there’s more.   In addition to either an insurance policy against tragedy, or a swamp land deal for the Brooklyn Bridge; you cannot have either UNLESS you are willing to follow the fine print of a specific denomination of Christians doing the presentation.  Even the slightest deviation, from the presenter’s specific set of rules (i.e. doctrines) will result in complete forfeiture of the rewards offered, and immediate adoption of all punishments listed.  AND now that you have taken the time to listen to this sales pitch, you have formally been educated on the “truth”, therefore any rejection or delay in accepting this limited time offer will afford you no excuses when it is time to experience the punishment you will get for not having accepted the offer when you had the chance.  Welcome to the gospel.  Not.

Our ideas of evangelism and ministry have degenerated a long way from the original model Christ Himself set up.  If we are ever to see real success in ourselves, and in our ministry, perhaps we should return and examine what we have lost.  Peter took the time to discuss “the first church”, as he recalled the plans of Jesus for John Mark to record.  Mark recorded these ideas and plans in his gospel in chapter six beginning in verse 7 saying … “And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;”  In this initial description is buried a whole host of truths that have traditionally escaped our grasp.  First, consider who was chosen to begin to share in the ministry of Christ, the twelve earliest followers.  This event is happening VERY early in the ministry of Christ.  It is NOT happening AFTER the ascension, or even the crucifixion.  At this point in His ministry (and we are only 6 chapters into the book), the disciples have only ONE doctrine they are fairly certain about … the identity of Jesus Christ.

Think about it.  These first 12 followers are decidedly NOT scriptural scholars, and in point of fact, are not being called to go out and read scripture to those who would listen.  There are not a set of standard doctrines to go share, not even about the mission of the Messiah, as nearly ALL of the disciples are still WRONG about what they think that mission is.  These men are NOT perfect.  They are still sinners, not freed from every wrong doing as yet.  These events are occurring before the day of Pentecost, and language may still be a barrier.  In point of fact, if this is the first great commission for mission into the fields, a formal set of doctrines seems to be completely absent … as is a solid scriptural explanation and interpretation for what they are doing.  The only thing they are fairly certain about is the identity of Jesus Christ as the Son of God.

Second, consider that despite their deep spiritual misunderstandings of the true mission of the Messiah, and their continued interest (greed), in being the “number two” in His Kingdom, they are STILL given power by Jesus Christ over “unclean spirits”.  The enemy of souls, the true enemy of redemption and salvation for the children of God, are NOT the Children themselves, they are the devil and his compatriots.  The power granted to the 12, is not the power to condemn mankind, but to free mankind from the influence of its true enemy.  Mankind is the target audience.  Mankind’s redemption through Jesus Christ the only Son of God is the product.  You cannot condemn the audience of this message, and expect it to see the wisdom and love in salvation.  The power over unclean spirits, was meant to free the bondage of mankind to demonic influences and addiction to sin.  Our enemy was and remains Satan.  Our enemy was and remains self.  The first power offered in the ministry and service of Christ, was to free mankind from the undue influence of the supernatural.

Third, consider the method in which the 12 were to be sent out to the surrounding world.  To cover the broadest area and reach the most people possible, they should have been sent out alone in 12 different directions.  Instead, Christ cuts down the opportunity by half, in order to pair disciples 2-by-2 and send them out.  Why?.  Could it be, that our picture of the identity of Christ is incomplete when we view Him only through our own eyes?  Could it be, that to truly present a better truth about Jesus, we need more than our own opinion, we need to see Him through the eyes of another?  Perhaps the only way to avoid the temptation of ego, even when serving Christ, is to have a partner with whom we must share the credit.  Perhaps the only way to make an enlightened decision of where to go next, and what to do next, is to value the opinions and prayers of someone other than ourselves.  When 2 form a consensus, and in unity reach out, miracles occur.  When we attempt to go solo … we often fail.  Protection from non-believers was not the primary consideration for pairing disciples, for God alone can take care of our security and other needs, as Peter was about to recall.

John Mark continues transcribing in verse 8 saying … “And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse: [verse 9] But be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats.”  This “command” is a departure from everything we know.  It lacks all common sense, and reveals a complete lack of sensible preparation.  The disciples were to carry literally nothing with them that could help their efforts except the single set of clothes that they were wearing, a pair of sandals, and a staff.  They could not even take an extra coat in case it got cold.  No money at all.  No sack lunch or canteen.  Why on earth, would Jesus effectively disarm the disciples to the point where it is impossible to sustain themselves and then ask them to go out and do ministry works?  Parents, even today, insure their children have lunch in school before they send them out the door.  We put coats on our children if we suspect rain or snow is coming.  And when going on a trip ourselves, we “pack” everything we think we are going to need, or want, in order to enjoy where we are going.  Not so, with Jesus, and the first church.  They were to take nothing … but the power Christ had put within them, and the knowledge of His true identity.

Sending disciples into a hostile world with nothing that could help them sustain themselves … has the direct impact of focusing your need.  It brings into acute focus that you MUST depend upon God in order to be sustained, because you have no other choice.  The biggest danger within the gospel ministry is the idea that we can somehow sustain ourselves.  The biggest danger to our redemption and reclamation is the idea that we can somehow take care of ourselves and our sins.  The cancer-of-thought that allows us to believe we bring something of our own of value into the ministry, is the corrosive corruption of self entering into the gospel, and disabling it.  We bring nothing of value.  We have nothing of value to offer except the power Christ imparts, and our certainty about His identity.  The Disciples of Christ will by necessity demonstrate a dependence on God that none around them have to do.  The people they will encounter are workers, providing for themselves and their families.  Those people think they are sustaining themselves, but the living example of the disciples runs counter to that notion.  The disciples have nothing but their faith in the identity of Jesus Christ, and His assurance He will take care of them, because He loves them.  They need nothing else.

So many Adventists, and Christians of other faiths, believe they must prepare for the end of the world, by purchasing homes in the country, and burying food in the caves.  These believers have mistaken the ideas of preparedness (like an intimate proximity to Christ), with instead a hoarder philosophy to empty the supermarket.  In short, they deny God the opportunity to provide for their needs, presuming they can take care of these needs themselves.  They further presume they can predict where they will be when the end comes, and will have access to the food, shelter, and supplies they have prepared for just this occasion.  What they omit, is that the mission of ministry is to save that which is lost, not to run and hide from it.  A deep abiding love for others, such as Christ has, does not forsake that which is in need, in order to preserve self.  Instead self is sacrificed in order to spread love to those who need it most.  Our efforts to prepare and hoard, do not testify of our dependence upon God, they blaspheme it.

The admonition from Christ continues in verse 10 saying … “And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place.”  The disciples were to be humble above all things.  The disciples would have to swallow all notions of pride and accept the charity of anyone willing to house them, and feed them during their time of ministry, wherever they found themselves.  This would accomplish two goals.  It would serve to constantly remind the disciples of their dependence upon God, while at the same time, showing them (and us) that the love of God is reflected in our world through the love of one family to another.  Manna did not descend from heaven to feed the disciples, instead the charity of working families filled that role.  The love of God for His servants was to be found in those who barely knew His name.  The family who provided this charity, would in turn find the blessings of our God upon them.  It is in giving we come to know God.  It is in providing for those in need that we begin to see who Jesus Christ truly is.  This charity was not demanded of the audience, it was an opportunity to be blessed by those who offered it.

But in the world of sin, where Satan is bent on our destruction, there is not always a family willing to listen and love.  Sometimes, no matter the power over unclean spirits, the hearts of man remain stone, and refuse to even want to be something different.  Christ offers council on what to do if that occurs as John Mark continues His admonitions in verse 11 saying … “And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.”  You will notice the disciples are not to curse those who will not listen, or in fact, say ANYTHING that would be insulting, condemning, or judgmental.  The issue is not one of proving you are right.  The issue is not one of being empowered to condemn and seal the fate of those who would refuse to listen.  The issue is one to make a statement in the silent actions of shaking the dust off of your feet.  The disciples were to symbolically distance themselves from those who “refuse to hear”.

This symbolic action was NOT reserved for those with different doctrines.  It was not meant as a gesture between one Christian and another over disputes over matters of faith.  It was meant for those who will not accept the identity of Jesus Christ.  NONE of the disciples had their doctrines straight yet anyway, it would be pointless to argue them with each other.  They were unified in only the matter of the identity of Jesus Christ as the Son of God.  Even the symbolic gesture of distancing one’s self from those who refuse to accept the identity of Jesus was meant to be a “warning” against them, not a final declaration that they had no hope.  If they repented, or if they changed their mind, they could still find the same redemption you and I do.  But we should be equally on guard.  It is a warning to us, that other religions that espouse “spiritualty” and “good works for others” but do so absent Jesus Christ, are a danger to us as well.  It is not the doctrines of Christianity that are absolute, or all supreme, it is the savior found in Jesus Christ that is.  There is only one Son of God, not many.  There is only one path to God, not many.  The warning functions in two ways.

Finally, John Mark records what the results of listening to Jesus Christ were in these first evangelistic efforts beginning in verse 12 saying … “And they went out, and preached that men should repent. [verse 13] And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.”  The disciples went out preaching a message of repentance.  They asked their listeners to repent of self-styled salvation, and have faith in the name of Jesus Christ to save them.  In the name and power of Jesus Christ, they anointed the sick and healed them, just like their Savior.  This was not an extension of the temple services.  This was not the Jewish faith experiencing some sort of Renaissance and revival, where general Rabbi’s started performing miraculous works based on their deep understanding of scriptures and the Torah.  It was instead, 12 simple laborers, who through espousing the name of Jesus Christ as the Messiah, were performing the same acts of love that Christ did.

12 imperfect followers, who did not understand scriptures well, and did not have doctrinal perfection, preached only repentance, humility, and belief in Jesus Christ as the Messiah … and that was more than enough for success.  They could not provide for themselves, because Christ specifically commanded that they should not even attempt to do so.  They were wholly reliant on the charity of others.  They were not professional speakers, or teachers.  They were simple men.  They had only one sure fact, the identity of the Savior of our world.  But fully dependent on God, they were successful in emulating the deeds of their Lord and Master through His Name and His power.  If we are to experience the opportunity Christ offers to share in His ministry, perhaps we should rethink entirely what our message is, and how we should deliver it.  Perhaps we should rethink where our sustenance comes from, and how wholly dependent we truly are, rather than falsely assume it comes from our own efforts.  Perhaps we should engage in ministry in partnerships with another person, in order to better present the picture of Christ, the world is in need to see.  Could that person be our spouse, or our children, or our co-worker?

Opportunity can knock again at the door of the world, in the hearts of those who have not heard, or do not understand.  But the sales team, needs to re-examine how it will attempt to present these ideas, and focus on the singular most important one … the identity of Jesus Christ as the only Son of God.  We are not in need of human intercessors, Papal Pontiffs, or a reliance on the clergy for spiritual enlightenment.  We are simply in need of repentance, humility, dependence, and charity.  If we can offer these things to the world, perhaps we can find a new era of opportunity that can penetrate social media boundaries, overcome electronic distances, and enter straight into the hearts of those who need it the most.

 

Family Ties ...

Imagine for a moment, what it must have been like for a childhood friend of Jesus.  Jesus was born in Bethlehem but was quickly moved to Egypt for His first seven years.  I wonder how many kids He might have remembered in His early days in Egypt, or if He learned to speak the language there having grown up in the shadow of the Nile.  On moving back to Israel, Joseph and Mary chose to settle in Nazareth, in the region of Galilee.  Perhaps Joseph feared that returning to Bethlehem may have inspired Herod’s successor into equally violent acts to kill the young child.  But for the remaining years from 7-8 all the way till He was nearly 30 years old, Jesus grew up and became a young man from Nazareth, in Galilee.  Given His loving disposition, He was bound to have made friends there.  There was that incident where at 12 years old, He taught in the Temple for three days while His earthly parents were in a panic on His location.  The Temple scholars were amazed at His doctrine, and in His Truth.  But outside of that single incident, we have no written documentation about His life from 8 to 30, though we might be able to imagine a “normal” life for Him.  Could it truly have been so?

To give it context, we will invent a friend for Jesus called Bob (yes, I realize Bob is hardly a normal Jewish name at the time; that is sort of the point, this is an imaginary friend only to illustrate a point).  Bob would have gone with Jesus at 12 and frankly every year to the Temple for Passover.  This was not a onetime event in the lives of practicing Jewish families, it was an annual one.  If Bob were the same age as Jesus, Bob would have been around when the brothers and sisters of Christ came into the world.  Keep in mind, Jesus was the first born and eldest in His own home, but decidedly NOT an only child.  John Mark will be providing more specifics on that shortly.  But if Bob and Jesus were friends and roughly the same age, they may have played together as younger children, and helped each other out taking care of younger brothers and sisters as they too began to grow up in Nazareth.  Bob would had to have noticed that Jesus was not like all his other friends.  Jesus was different.  He loved everybody.  He knew scriptures well enough to teach Temple scholars at the age of 12.  He never swore, or used foul language.  He ate simple healthy foods, not given to gluttony or excess.  He was in great physical shape, because He worked as a Carpenter’s apprentice.

Bob had to have been by Jesus’ side when Joseph died.  Bob would have been a pallbearer at Joseph’s funeral, helping carry and bury the body of Joseph, perhaps adding a stone for respect and commemoration.  While Jesus was deeply saddened over the loss of His earthly father, He did not grieve as others grieve, because He seemed to know something about death that nobody else could understand.  What a temptation it must have been for Jesus to raise Joseph in order to comfort Mary, and His brothers and sisters.  But it was not the will of His Father that His ministry begin this young.  So Joseph must remain in the grave. 

Bob would have noticed that Jesus did not seem to have a favorite toy, but would give away the toys He made to anyone who showed an interest in them.  Bob would have noticed that Jesus took over the family business, and taught His brothers how to carpenter, waiting until they were self-sufficient before He would leave to pursue a different career in Ministry.  For the life of him, Bob could not remember Jesus ever committing a single sin.  No one ever witnessed Jesus doing anything for Himself, only ever for others.  Truly this had to have been remarkable.  Bob’s other friends would be willing to get into mischief with him, but not Jesus.  Jesus loved Bob consistently, but would never be a part of anything that might have caused pain to another.

So if Bob, or you, could imagine knowing someone like this for more than 22 years, could you not come to “know” in your heart who He surely must be?  Looks like Bob missed the boat, more to the point, are we missing it was well?  Peter recalls to John Mark what should have been a triumphant return of Jesus to His home.  But there was no Bob to greet Him.  Instead what happened was truly remarkable, and so close to how we treat Jesus today.  John Mark transcribes Peter’s recollections beginning in the Gospel of Mark chapter Six and verse 1 saying … “And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him. [verse 2] And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?”  Jesus had come home.  Perhaps the first thing He did was to check in with His mom and siblings and get settled in with the disciples.  Perhaps their home was not big enough to accommodate them and He went to stay with other friends He knew from back in the day.  But for wherever they settled down, Jesus went to the synagogue on Sabbath … to teach.

Jesus was no longer just a parishioner, He was now on a mission to teach the Truth.  His doctrines, as ever, were sound and irrefutable.  His Truth and message was powerful and moving.  His delivery was perfect.  And His reputation preceded Him.  The locals remembered Jesus, but hearing Him speak this way was blowing their minds.  When did Jesus become such a powerful preacher?  When did He have time to learn so many scriptures and speak more authoritatively than any Rabbi ever?  And how was it that He was performing so many miracles in His ministry?  He never did so many before.  The people who knew Jesus, and could not recall Him ever committing any act of sin (because He didn’t), could not connect the dots for who He was.  John Mark continues in verse 3 saying … “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.”  The people knew Jesus not as a preacher, but as a carpenter.  They were offended at the idea of being taught by just another carpenter.  Joseph had been dead so long, they did not recall him as the father of Jesus, only citing His mother’s name.

But in their response is enumerated for us, the beauty of family.  In this day, men were counted and valued, women were not.  Jesus had four brothers; James, Joses, Juda, and Simon.  In addition Jesus had sisters.  I would so bet there were three of them J (of course that is me personally just liking the number 7).  Mary was not a perpetual virgin as our Catholic friends would like to believe, perpetuating a myth of pagan lore.  Mary was a wife and mother, a real wife and mother, who loved her husband and without benefit of birth control, gave birth to at least 6 more children (note the tense of the female siblings as sisters not sister).  Perhaps some of these brothers or sisters were born in Egypt.  The rest were born and or raised in Nazareth with Jesus.  His family was known there.  Bob would have known Him.  Other had to as well.  The locals had a family context for Jesus, and the remainder of His family were ALL normal people.  His brothers, sisters, and mother were not perfect, they were just like us.  So by association, if His family was not perfect, He could not be either.

John Mark continues in verse 4 saying … “But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.”  Jesus points out a truth of human nature both then and now.  Those who should have known Him for who He is and was, did not.  Those who had spent years knowing Him, being around Him, listening to Him, talking to Him, and watching His life, did not really know who He was at all.  How like us.  Christians who have been in the church for years, talking to Jesus, talking about Jesus, claiming the name of Jesus … but having no clue who He really is.  We associate with each other, like our Pharisee forefathers.  We do not go to those in need, and give them our time, our love, and our means.  Instead we collect into groups of like-minded believers, and share Jesus in conversation with each other, feeling good that we did so afterwards.  But isolating our conversations to those who already believe as we do, taking no risks of rejection or ridicule, and showing no real love to anyone in need.

Yet we like Bob, and like those who grew up with Christ, have no idea who He really is.  We worship a God fashioned after our own desires, instead of a God who can remake what we want.  We pray to Him to “do” things for us, get off our knees, and “do” nothing for others.  Our knowledge of Jesus is one way, from Him to us, never finding Him when it is we who do for another.  We who have known Jesus for more than 20 years, and still know so little about who He truly is.  We, like our imaginary Bob, should be ashamed.  We can recall no time when Jesus did not show us how much He loves us.  The love of Jesus for us is always constant.  Yet our own love of each other is sporadic, temperamental, and often one sided.  Our hearts reflect a priority centered on self, and demonstrate that we have yet to be fully transformed by His power.  When our hearts are transformed through surrender to this same Jesus we may have talked about for 20 years, but never really surrendered to, we find we love differently.  Our love for others becomes a driving passion in our lives that cannot keep silent.  And for the first time, we begin to know the minister, instead of the carpenter.  We begin to know who Christ really is, instead of what we thought He was.  We begin to know what it really means to be saved from ourselves, instead of steeped in our embrace of sin.

John Mark continues in verse 5 … “And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. [verse 6] And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.”  Not only did those who should have known Him, refuse to accept who He was, their lack of faith prevented Him from doing for them, what He came to do for them.  Here the parallels in our day are terrifying.  Do we as nominal Christians, so lack faith in Christ, that we actually prevent Him from healing us, transforming us, and pouring out His power upon us?  In a further terrifying assessment statement, Jesus “marveled” at their unbelief.  Jesus is literally amazed at how little belief those who should know Him best, actually have.  Does He also marvel at us?  Are we like our predecessors, able to talk about Jesus, but completely lack a real faith in His ability to actually change who we are, and how we live?  Are we still bound in sins, we should have long been made free of, but are not, because our lack of faith prevents Him from doing the great and mighty works He would love to do for us?

Despite their lack of faith, those in need were still able to benefit from His healing touch.  Perhaps those in deep need were willing to accept a different picture of who Jesus was?  Perhaps their need drove them to this.  Does it take this kind of tragedy to drive us to see Jesus differently?  Or can we like simple villagers in the surrounding towns, accept the teachings of Jesus who thought it important to visit small communities and reach the unreached.  Jesus went to Nazareth first, but Nazareth was not having Him.  Jesus went to Israel first, but the Jewish religion was not having Him.  But the ministry of Jesus was not reserved ONLY to those He encounters first, but to all mankind.  It is the loss of Nazareth in how they responded to Christ, as it was for the Jewish faith.  But any who would hear, who would believe, would find that Christ has flung open the doors to His family, will find that all are welcomed there.  Being a blood brother or sister of Christ may have provided a level of more time spent with Him.  Being a friend who grew up with Christ, may have afforded a lifetime of getting to talk to Him and know Him.  But to really know who Jesus is, we must look beyond the Carpenter, and find the Savior.

To truly embrace the family of Christ, we must learn to love all of its members, with a love that is reflected through us from Him, not attempted to originate within us.  We are not the source of love, we are only its vessel.  We can carry His love to others, relying on His strength to do so.  But only as we surrender who we are to Him.  We must put our desires on His altar.  We must allow Him to change how we think about loving others.  A change in the core of us, will produce a harvest in the feet of us.  Our actions will follow our transformed hearts, and our motives will become what they were intended to be, instead of what we try to force them to be.  To truly become a brother or sister to Christ, we do not need to share the blood of Mary, but the blood of Christ with the world around us.  Our family ties to Christ by choice, and by surrender to His transforming power, are stronger than a genetic linkage that serves no other purpose.

 

Bleeding and Dying No More [part three] ...

In this series, perhaps the World Series of establishing the identity of Jesus Christ, the first three events had happened in fairly quick succession.  In the space of only a few days, Jesus had commanded nature, and bent time and space.  In this first act, He established Himself as our world’s Creator, and the Author of physics (not its slave).  Next, the infinite power of His Love, commanded an entire host of nearly 2,000 demons to leave a tortured possessed man with a single command.  In this second act, He established that no amount of enemies could stand before His Love, they were compelled to heed the voice of the Son of God who they acknowledged despite what the Pharisees were saying about Him.  In the third act, a woman whose desperation led her to lift her self-imposed limitations and imagine a cure was possible if only she could secretly touch the hem of His garment, and her crazy scheme worked.  But in the third act, Christ wanted this woman to know that she and her terminal disease were important to Him.  He called her His Daughter, blessed her, and sent her home safe in the knowledge that she would never be unimportant to Him.  Now we resume an examination of his fourth and final act to establish and affirm His identity.

Peter recalls to John Mark in his Gospel in chapter five how the fourth act would proceed.  Jesus was still en-route to the home of Jairus to heal his daughter.  Jairus remained a part of the ruling class of Israel, part of the Sanhedrin that was already deep into conspiring to see Jesus killed.  Jairus maintained his association with the very group of men bent on killing Christ.  Justice would demand a life for a life.  Justice would demand that someone bent on killing Christ, should himself suffer the fate he intended for Jesus.  Even if Jairus was not personally a part of the group intent on killing Christ, he had done nothing to distance himself from them until this day, when he submitted in humility before Christ in order to see his own daughter healed from yet another terminal illness.  Justice is and remains the battle cry … of Satan.  It is Satan who cries for justice in the hallowed courts of heaven.  It is Satan that demands that we pay for our sins, for a penalty must surely be paid.  Those who demand justice, echo the demands of Satan.  Our God is not interested in ensuring equality, fairness, and justice; for His Love offers so MUCH more than mere equality and fairness.  His Love is willing to forgive what otherwise Justice could not forgive.  His Love is willing to serve that which does not deserve service.  His Love is willing to reclaim, re-create, and restore that which by self-decision had abased itself beyond comprehension.  There is no Justice in our redemption … there is only Love.

But the decision to humble himself before Christ must have been a hard one for Jairus.  When his daughter fell ill, Jairus must have done what all of us do, what the woman who was just healed did.  He called in the doctors, and physicians.  Money was no object to Jairus, he would gladly spend it all to see his daughter healed.  But alas the best of human wisdom is still often not enough.  And his daughter’s condition got worse instead of better.  Unlike the Roman commander, who “knew” Jesus could heal with a simple command, and did not need to be there to see it done … Jairus had made a different request.  Jairus had asked for Jesus to come to heal his daughter.  The faith of Jairus in Christ was there, but not as great as that of the Roman, who did not have to personally witness what Christ did, the Roman was content to hear the words from His mouth, and to know it would be done.  Jairus needed to see.  But the time Jairus had spent in seeking a cure outside of Jesus Christ, had proven to be time wasted.  Is it any different for us?

How often, in our desire to be redeemed, do we seek a cure for our sins, outside of the transforming power of Jesus Christ?  We look to find spiritual growth in the things we do.  We read the Bible.  We study our weekly lessons for church classes.  We attend services.  We sing our songs of praise, and pray our prayers for blessings (for us).  We give what we can afford to give, be it time or money, to those who are “less fortunate” than ourselves.  In short, we are like the rich young ruler of scriptures, who when he encounters Christ, states that from his youth he has “kept all the commandments” of our God.  But what we spend little time contemplating in our spiritual lives, and spiritual “accomplishments” is “why” we do what we do.  The list cited above is not a bad list.  In point of fact, the transformed heart does all of these things, but it does them for a different reason, and it experiences a different outcome.  Those who pursue doing these activities “in order to see themselves rid of sin” do not see their goals achieved.  It is not our actions that rid us of the desire to sin … it is our surrender to Jesus Christ alone.  It is only the power of Christ who can remove within us, what we cannot remove, no matter how many spiritual things we attempt to do.  It is not our power that can remove our sinful desires, it is the power of Christ alone.  When we seek another remedy for sin, outside of surrendering to Christ, we see only continued failure.

When however, like Jairus, in desperation, we finally decide to humble ourselves and admit we cannot do what must be done … taking our sin, and our sinful desires to the feet of Jesus Christ … we finally experience what His power alone can do for us; whether our disease is in a terminal state, or whether we have already died in it.  Jesus can revive not only those who are spiritually wounded and suffering from a terminal disease, He can revive a heart that has experienced spiritual death and up to now has wanted nothing to do with spiritual things.  The transformed heart, learns to love like Christ loves.  The transformed and resurrected heart learns to love others like Christ loves others.  In so doing, the transformed heart looks for truth in the pages of Truth, and studies through the lens of Jesus Christ leading.  The transformed heart gladly goes to church because it longs for the joy of association and the opportunity to serve others, not to be served.  The transformed heart sings songs of praise, not just in sanctuaries dedicated to that purpose, but in the car, on the street, at the office desk, and in the home; because it CANNOT keep silent.  Gratitude overflows and leads to continual praise.  The transformed heart prays only for others, because it knows its own needs have been far exceeded in being met.  The transformed heart gives everything it has to others, and holds nothing back for itself, because it cannot afford to pass up an opportunity to give.  And in humility it never claims to have kept the commandments, but rather re-directs any notion of goodness, back to the source of Christ, for nothing within it is good without Him.  Why we do what we do matters.

But alas, the time Jairus (and us) spent in looking for a solution outside of Christ was time wasted.  And in this case, it was too much time wasted.  Peter recalls to John Mark beginning in verse 35 saying … “While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?”  Game over.  You waited too long, wasted too much time, and failed.  It was too late.  She died.  There is no further point.  Once you were dead, you were dead.  Half the Sanhedrin did not believe in any form of resurrection even at the end of all things.  Jairus and his household may have been of that inclination.  But whether he was or not, the time to heal a terminal disease was done.  Might as well, let God move on to other priorities, help those who still have time to be helped, help those who have not wasted ALL of their time just yet.  Death was a bell that could not be un-rung.  In all of the scriptures Jairus was deeply familiar with, there had never been a story of the dead coming back to life.  They ALL slept, awaiting the final day of God’s Kingdom being established on earth.  There may have been ghost stories from witches who derived their power from Satan, but demons impersonating dead men, were still a far cry from an actual dead person getting a second chance.  So far, death was an absolute ruler over the fate of mankind.  It did not matter whether you were good or bad, faithful or not, everyone died.  So the game needed to be called for an expired time clock.  Death had claimed the players, and there was nothing left … or was there?

John Mark records the reaction of Christ in verse 36 saying … “As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.”  This was asking the impossible.  Jesus, was asking Jairus, to do something to believe something, that there was no precedent for.  He was asking Jairus to believe in spite of the facts, in spite of scripture, in spite of his beliefs, in spite of his education, upbringing, and tenants of his job.  This was not a combination of scripture and God.  This was a request to believe only in Jesus Christ.  The interpretations of the Sanhedrin where it came to the Messiah were largely mistaken.  They had confused the second coming and final establishment of God’s kingdom with the first coming where the lamb would be slain.  They had scripture all jumbled up.  And in none of scripture was there hope of an early resurrection, and nothing about the Messiah doing one of those.  So the request of Christ required faith in only one thing … in the person of Jesus Christ standing before him right then, and right there.  Is it any different for us?  To have faith that Christ can do for you, what you have been unable to do, takes faith in only thing … in Jesus Christ.  It is not your understanding of scripture that can see you rid of your desire to sin, it is Jesus Christ alone.  Your doctrines will not do it, but your Savior will, if you let Him.

Then Jesus did something that is at first a little hard for us to understand, Mark records it in verse 37 saying … “And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James.”  Jesus dismissed the crowd.  Even within His own disciples, only three were selected to see what was about to occur.  The obvious question was “why”.  The gospel of John we studied earlier offers us perhaps a little insight here.  John’s gospel highlights several occasions where the crowd was bent on forcing Christ to become their earthly king.  He had to use miraculous powers to escape those crowds or they would have succeeded.  The people at this time, and in our own, often look only at Christ through the lens of what is in it for them.  They seek Christ, like we seek Santa Claus and Bill Gates, to see what they might do for us.  We want, we want, we want.  Our prayers are like laundry lists of what we need God to do for us. 

Knowing He could heal, nearly the entire nation sought a health upgrade, and they got it.  Dealing with a matter of life and death, or more precisely, that death was no longer a barrier, might encourage a revolution against Rome where people would gladly kill themselves on Roman spears and swords, expecting to be raised up by their newly crowned Messiah.  If death itself could not stop their army, they would indeed be the greatest force on earth, and all the world including Rome would have to submit.  Even His own disciples harbored some of these feelings.  So the group of witnesses had to be smaller, in order to see this blessing occur.  Our inclination to selfishness necessitated a restriction of the vision of the power of God, as it does today.  How many believers today, if endowed with the ability to heal the sick without exception, would be able to withstand the temptation to take the credit for themselves, to accept the celebrity our society would heap upon them, to become a leader in the eyes of the nation, and in some ways be worshipped as a demi-god?  How many believers today, could refuse the praise of those impacted, and remain humble, dependent, and ever seeking ONLY the will of the Father as Jesus did.  Our inclination to selfishness, necessitates the restriction of the outpouring of the true power of the Holy Spirit.

Peter then recalls his own personal witness to what transpired next as John Mark continues writing in verse 38 saying … “And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. [verse 39] And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.”  There are several things to note here.  First the perspective of God is not like our own.  We see death as a barrier from which there is no return, Jesus and God see it only as a nap, or night’s sleep, like we take every day.  Time passes while we are unconscious, but when we wake up, we pick up where we left off, and resume doing what needs to be done.  From the perspective of Christ this remains true of death.  Adam is still sleeping.  Adam has no concept of the nearly 5000+ years that have passed since he fell asleep in death.  He is napping.  When Christ returns he will be woken up, and resume a life he is familiar with, but without the stain of sin any more.  When we sleep, we are unconscious.  We are not still living in some sort of ghost like state, we are simply asleep, unaware of time, or any other concerns.  The declaration of Christ is not just trying to get the crowd here to feel better about the girl’s condition, it is about getting all of us to understand better what death itself is actually like.

The second thing to note here, is that if death is actually not the end of our existence, if there is actually life possible after our earthly sleep of death … then what kind of life would that be?  Satan encourages us to sin like there is no tomorrow, because we only have “one life” and time is short.  But what if he is only half right?  What if time is truly short here, and our opportunity to make a difference, to lead someone else to the real eternal life is wasted?  A life after this one, intended to be permanent, and lived in loving others can actually begin here through the power of Christ.  But to waste that, is to waste the chance to help another see what you have seen, and learn from Christ, what you have learned.  If we spend all of this life focusing on only our own temporal needs, when in our next life, none of those things truly matter, do we not waste our lives entirely?  Whether you live 10 years, or 20, or 80, it is a drop in the bucket next to eternal life.  Would it not be better to live whatever time you have left fully, and intensely, with the primary mission of bringing others with you into the next life of eternity with Christ?  To connect them with the same Jesus who is saving and transforming you, is the ONLY goal that counts with whatever time you have left here.  To love others, like Jesus loves others, is truly living.  Everything else, is such as waste.

The perspective of those grieving people was a lot like our own, we do not see past the limits we have set for ourselves, past our ideas of the facts as John Mark records in verse 40 saying … “And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying.”  The people in their grief, “laughed Him to scorn”.  They took their limited vision, and assumed that Jesus was making an alternate medical assessment of the condition of the child.  They could not see something broader, perhaps nor do we.  Jesus was talking about life and death, and what is truly important.  And what we see is limited by our own ideas of the facts, history, and certainty in our knowledge.  But we are wrong, misguided, and will not see what Jesus is truly saying.  So Jesus does what must be done, undeterred and non-responsive to their criticism and ridicule, He simply escorts all of them all out of the house. 

Even though Jesus is in the right, even though Jesus alone understands life and death better than anyone there, He does NOT force others to accept His own thinking.  He does not compel them to change what they believe or what they say.  He does not laugh back at them, and call them out for the fools they truly are.  He does not humiliate them for being wrong, and not understanding what He is saying.  But how often do Christians treat each other this way?  How often in our certainty about scripture and its interpretation do we use it as a weapon to punish those with less knowledge than ourselves?  How often do we “defend” ourselves against ridicule and scorn, by inflicting ridicule and scorn on those who “deserve it”?  Jesus does not react this way, ever.  He never “gets even”.  He never looks for justice against those who keep wrongly inflicting their own pain and ridicule on Him.  Instead He continues in acts of Love, undeterred by those who do not understand it yet.

Peter continues the story in verse 41 saying … “And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. [verse 42] And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.”  Perhaps Jesus took this girl by the hand before He offered that command, because without directing it specifically at her, the entire fallen mankind might have arisen at that moment in time.  A single command had only recently expelled nearly 2,000 demons at once, so we know what He says carries great weight in a world beyond our vision and self-imposed limitations.  The girl of course, did what Adam did when Jesus had breathed life into him, she arose.  Jesus was not calling this girl back from the paradise of heaven her disembodied soul would have surely preferred to stay in.  Instead He was doing what He had already explained, He was waking her from the sleep of death, and from her nap.  She had no concept of the passing of time, of the weeping and wailing that had been going on for her departure.  She was asleep.  And now through the power of Christ, life had entered her again, and she was awake.  For the first time the 5 souls in attendance had their self-imposed blinders lifted.  They were astonished.

John Mark concludes this series in verse 43 saying … “And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.”  What was being done, was to be witnessed by 5 people in person, and recorded not for them (they saw it), but for us.  The identity of Jesus Christ should have been firmly affixed in the eyes of three of His disciples, but all the more so for you and I.  What had just transpired was concrete proof that for those who believe in Jesus Christ, not even death was any kind of barrier to what He can do for us.  Our Creator has the power to re-create what we have by choice killed.  Our Creator can call life back into us, no matter how badly we have driven out every spiritual impulse in our lives.  But it is our Creator alone who can do this for us, not the power we mistakenly believe we have.  The dead girl was not a partner with Christ in her own resurrection, she was only a beneficiary of it.  Jairus did not “do” anything to see his own daughter raised, he was only a witness to it.  The disciples and closest followers of Christ, were not participant or partners in this ministry, they were only as witnesses.  A grieving mother, a hopeful father, a curious set of dedicated believers; all had different perspectives on what occurred and differing points of view.  But what was solely consistent was that Jesus Christ did ALL the work of raising the dead back to life.

It is exactly so in our Christian experience.  Our Lord Jesus Christ is the one who plants the seed of faith in us, we do not even do that much.  Jesus is the one who does ALL the work of bringing us back from spiritual death to spiritual life in Him.  We do nothing but let Him.  The dead girl could not refuse the command of Christ, nature could not refuse, disease could not refuse, the demons could not refuse the command of Christ; and our desires to sin will be unable to stand before the commands of Christ if we are but willing to let Him utter them on our behalf.  None of the opposition to Christ were working with Him to see change, all were working against Him.  But change occurred because He commanded it.  Your sinful nature is not going to just go away on its own.  Your love of sin, is not just going to be erased by the power of your will, or ability to deny yourself that which you love.  But a single command of Christ, can knock that desire out of your life for good.  A transformed heart, can lead you to focus on new priorities, until acts for others become “normal” and acts for self are never needed again.

The identity of Jesus Christ should be most affirmed in your mind and in mine.  The revelation of this gospel is a revelation of Jesus Christ to you and I.  It is an unveiling of the truth to us.  The stories are not mere history, they are predictive for our lives.  They are applicable in our here and now.  Disease is not our master, nor are the rules of nature and physics, we serve the Lord who is over all of them.  Not even death is a barrier to our God of Love who sees infinitely beyond the night’s sleep of death we may take, or the brief nap we enjoy between our last day, and His first day at His second coming.  What matters, is how we love.  What matters is who we love, in that it is others, and not ourselves.  We waste time when we love ourselves, and we enjoy life when we spend it loving others.  The identity of our God is a deep association with a love for others.  He won His world series.  We should enjoy that victory, and let Him win one in our lives, for us, that we too can benefit from …