Sonshine's Journal

Jesus has been an itinerant preacher around Judah. He has performed miracles that are unexplainable. He has taught with authority, not as the scribes. He embraced the lowest of the low and ate meals with all strata of society. And, so in his travels he returns to the town in which he had been raised. Entering the synagogue on the Sabbath, he began to teach. The audience was made up of those in the city that he knew. He had walked and talked among them and so on this day he spoke words that could change lives. The people began to question.

Where did he get these ideas? 

      And what is this wisdom that has been given to him? 

                What are these miracles that are done through his hands? 

They were astonished but not one, get that, not one brought these questions to Jesus himself and just like the Pharisees they left their questions on the table and sought to kill him. 

We ask why? The answer is given: He is prophet and for centuries the people had killed prophets because they brought the message of God’s love and compassion to a lost people. Instead of repenting they to end those words for they convicted them of their sin. How about you? Do you just echo the questions but do not seek the true answers from God? 

What does a seed need to grow is what elementary teachers ask their students who are just learning. After experimenting and planning etc new plants come up. They see the entire baby plant as it grows and matures.What a beautiful picture of the newly saved. 

Oct 15Mark 4 The Sower and the Seed

Jesus is the sower of the seed.  Each seed cast falls upon the ground, some to life and some to never live due the soil. Jesus explained the truth of these planting and the seed itself. It is interesting to read that Jesus shared that each seed falls and the devil takes advantage of this “dead”soil and “reaps” that truth from it. Paul explains why in his letter to the Corinthians. The god of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe so they would not see the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God. [2 Cor 4:4] That is the picture of the lost seed and the dead ground. But, there is hope! And it is this: 1Pe 1:25 but the word of the Lord endures forever. God is the God of the impossible. That seed may be dormant but God is greater and He can rejuvenate the dead seed to bring it to life. And how can that be but by the gospel message shared by you and me. 

Jesus taught the disciples to say Hallow be thy name. This is the first thing they must pray if they want to honor God. Hallowed is the equivalent of holy. We are to honor God in His holiness.Further Jesus corrected a woman in the crowd saying the woman who bore him should be blessed. Instead, Jesus taught that he who wants to honor God also obeys him, he is the one who is blessed by God. The Lord’s Prayer is the key to all of our needs for when we put God first and obey Him, He hears from heaven and responds. 

Some in the crowd challenged Jesus by saying he was casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub or Satan. Jesus responded by asking them if this is true, then by what power did they also use to cast out demon?  

Dr. Luke carefully crafted this chapter to remind us that God must be first and must be honored as holy, then our prayers will be blessed. Secondly, do not give honor to Satan who is the author of evil. 

No matter what John the Baptist did or Jesus did, the religious leaders could only see with their eyes but never with their hearts. They complained “For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him, a glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectorsand sinners!’ But wisdom is vindicated by all herchildren.” 

It is the same today. We have wise counselors who speak the Word of God and are met with criticism and derogatory comments. For instance, one man is murdered and just as then they say, I will never shed a tear for them. The hardness of the heart is front and center before us. Beware of those who walk about in the finery of the rich but inside are the dead man’s bones just like Ezekiel saw. Unless a man bows his knee to God and accepts His plan of salvation, he will remain hardened and without hope. They will join the crowd saying: I will never shed a tear. 

One day these will hear: depart from me, I never knew you. What does your heart reveal today?

Over and over we see the work of Jesus as He performs miracles so they may believe but instead their hearts were hardened. He was grieved in his heart and we should be the same today. When a person says “I will not shed a tear” at the murder of one that reveals the true heart and I grieve, do you?  How is your heart today when you hear of the work of Jesus in a person’s life? Do you grieve like Jesus or speak words that reveal your hardened heart? 

Dr. Bailey sums it up like this: ““Having rejected the testimony of the Father, the Son, and now the Spirit’s miraculous authentication, nothing more could be done for the salvation of those religious leaders.” And that is true for those who reject the work of Jesus in another’s life. 

Pray today for softened hearts that the Holy Spirit might penetrate and bring them to salvation. 

As Jesus walked about Jerusalem he encountered a paralytic by the pool, which some supposed had healing power. As He has done in the past, He does so now. He asks a simple question, do you want to be made well? One would think that this would result in a yes or no answer but that is not what Jesus heard. Instead, the man gave reasons he couldn’t get into the pool! What would you have answered? 

Have you ever encountered people like this paralytic? You might ask them if they want to be saved or would you like to be sure of going to heaven. Listen to how they answer: I think I have done all I need to do. No yes or no but the word “I” sits squarely in their answer. “I think,”. “I need.” Thus they think there is a work they need to do to be assured. Jesus simply says: Believe and you will be saved. There is no work that you can do to be saved. There is no work you can do to measure up to going to heaven because all of our works are like filthy rags in God’s sight. So if I asked you that same question what would you say? 

Do you often ask the question why when you do not understand? In this chapter four people ask Jesus either to him personally or to his disciples: Why does he do this or that? Jesus responds with wisdom to answer each and yet none give Him their hearts to follow Him. Today is no different. People ask that same question but when they receive an answer they have a choice. Will they believe He who is the author of life or do they refuse to believe. Think of some of the questions: Why is there evil in the world? Why do some people become ill and others do not? Why do some people die early and others live past 100? It is not for us to have all the answers but instead to present the Christ who can transform a heart.  What questions do you have? Where do you go to find the answers? Do you go to men who are fallible or do you go to Christ who has the answers of life here and beyond?  

As we ponder the words of John, Matthew and Luke about the Healer,Jesus, we wonder what our response would be. Peter was ashamed and astonished because he saw Jesus as the miracle worker to multiply fish. Levi and some others chose to follow Jesus at His command. But, then as today, there were scoffers as they listened to Jesus speak healing to the paralytic. If you had been in that company, how would you have responded? Would you be more like Peter who fell at his feet and worshiped? Would you be more like James and John that left all walking away from their family business? Or, would you be like the religious leaders who, faced with the miracle of healing, scoffed and refused to believe? 

The wonder is that God chose not just one person to record these stories but many so that no one author could not take credit. Matthew was a tax collector John was a fisherman. Luke was a medical doctor. Each recorded and witnessed the healer do miracles so that we might believe Jesus is the Son of God.                                                                                                                                                                                                    

The story of  John the Baptist is not only intriguing but is so profoundly full of God’s answered prophecies. As he was fulfilling his God given task to proclaim the word of God and to prepare the way for Jesus, the Messiah, to come, it came about that as they were transformed from sinner to saint. But, Jesus didn’t need to take that step as He was already a saint, already pure in heart, mind and actions. After John baptized Him, the heavens opened and a voice proclaimed: This is my one dear Son in whom I am pleased. 

Right after this experience, Jesus was led into the wilderness where he was tempted for 40 days. It was during that time we read that the angels were ministering to him. What a marvelous truth to encourage us as we face temptations from the evil one. We too are nourished and protected by angelic beings who minister to our daily needs when we are in a difficult circumstance. 

Do not fear, for God is with us and his angels are all about us to minister and meet our needs. What a wonderful promise. 

We read this story about how the king Herod sought to kill the baby Jesus and we think this is amazing. The enemy of heaven is still at work today as he was in the time of Herod! Yet God’s ways are not our ways and He used dreams to bring about His plan for the protection of the Son of God. Further today God is using that same way to speak His Word to those who walk amongst the unsaved. Isaiah 55:8 says “Indeed, my plans are not like your plans, and my deeds are not like your deeds,” says the Lord,” What God has planned is superior to our ways. The enemy is all about us and seeks to kill and destroy the NT says, and it is as true now as it was in the time of Isaiah and the author Matthew in the NT. Satan was busy then and he is busy now. 

So what are you amazed at today? Do you stand amazed or do you praise Him for His perfect plan.