Who Jesus Is

January 24, 2007

In this weeks reading of Garland, I learn a few new things. I thought it was very interesting that every demon that Jesus dealt with seemed knew who he was. They knew Jesus was the son of God and they knew the power he had. They seemed to know that God was there to remove the demons from the person possessed. Most of the people at that time didn't know who Jesus was. They didn't know he was the son of God and had the same authority that God had. Most of the rulers and authories at this time didn't think Jesus could perform miracles because he wasn't God. But as we know Jesus is God and has the power to perform miracles. Though the demons seemed to be aware of what Jesus could do and who he was. I also thought it was neat that in one case of Jesus dealing with men possessed by a demon, that he moved the demon into a pig. I had never heard or read this before. It was neat to know he transfered the demon from the men and put it in a pig.Adam Godwin

Discipleship

Feb13, 2007

In Mark 8:34-9:1, Jesus gives the demands of discipleship for the disciples. I think these verses also are meant for us as christ followers. These are the things we must do to be disciples of Christ. The first is we must deny ourselves. Garland goes into full detail of the true meaning of denying one's self. It's not part-time work, but work to be lived out. We must deny everything, and put Jesus first. Deny our will, but let God's will be done. Second is to take up our cross. To carry the cross means to put your life on the line. Garland states it as "to be willing to join the ranks of the despised and doomed" Taking up the cross is known as "self-sacrifice" Thirdly Jesus tells them to follow his ways, not their own ways. Garland explains this by saying that Jesus doesn't want the disciples to simple be at awe of Jesus' work. He wants them to follow out and live as Jesus. Through reading this I better understand Jesus' view on discipleship through the book of Mark.Adam Godwin

Take a Bath

After reading about demons and unclean spirits it made me think of what all that cleaning that needs to take place in the lives of those who feel they already know the God that cleans to the core. I myself need to be reminded that I too was unclean and full of evil spirits. Forgive me and make me clean that I may be a follower that can rightly show the healing that has truly cleansed me.

What is really a Parable?

The discussion on class on Monday about parables and what they really are and how they are interpretted normally really intrigued me. I had to leave early and i was upset that i had to leave early because I was really enjoying the discussion. Normally parables are interpreted as a typical earthly story with a heavenly meaning. Dr. Foster with using the Greek text it was some type of comparison to an earthly story. I enjoyed the discussion on The sower and its interpretation. Dr. Foster told us to look how it is normally interpreted and how really it has several different meanings that are never pointed out like getting a closer look at the sower, and Listening and hearing. I really enjoyed taking a different look at parables and learning how to interpret them.

In the Name of Jesus...

In our culture demons are not seen as a reality, in movies they are depicted as fictional, but I was raised believing that they are real. In my home my father taught me to be conscience of the "world not of flesh and blood". This really helps me now in recognizing the reality that in our daily battles we do wage war on two planes, the physical and the spiritual. In Mark 5, Jesus shows that he has the ultimate power over the enemy, and as Christians, we do to. To many times we fail to take advantage of the power of Christ, not that we should be consumed by that thought as some... (Mr. Ben Hen). But that in our weakness he is strong enough to fight our battles.

I call call shotgun! aka Jesus' right side

I have always loved Mark 10:32-45. It is like James and John are calling shotgun in heaven. The common phrase "salvation is not earned" is true, but not all saved will be on equal ground. Garland pointed out how Jesus did not consign the disciples to last place, but told them how to be first. I think that is pretty neat. However, then comes the cup part...
The cup was a metaphor for internal baptism, and was a reference to several OT passages. Being first doesn’t come easy. You can't try to be first, or then your motivation will be like that of the pagans. You must serve because of love.
What I always wondered was who gets the left and right seats, because "it is for those who have already been prepared" so someone gets them. John? Paul? Dr. Foster? jk
It's a neat thought.

Wash your hands before supper!

In Mark 7, the Pharisees approach Jesus with the issue of ceremonial hand-washing before eating. They asked Jesus why his disciples weren’t following their Jewish traditions. Their claim was that God ordained this tradition for the sake of moral purity along with all the other cleanliness laws. Garland suggests that the Pharisees were seeking for Jesus and his disciples to remain in their pious traditions. They were afraid of losing their circle of influence, and Jesus was threatening just that. But Jesus understood that purity was not held in matters of practice but of the heart. He knew that the Pharisees were only washing their hands because they were in the habit of doing it and only did it for the sake of doing it. However, Jesus later explained to his disciples that purity is determined by what comes out rather than what goes in. We often wash our hands just because we are accustomed to doing it. We pray at meals because we just do. We go to church because it’s a habit. What is the real reason for those things made a practice in the first place?

Zach Pyron

Sorry, no catchy title today

I am particualrly interested in the text of Mark 3:20-30 in which Christ is accused of being Beelzebub. It is so easy to sit back today, 2000 years later and ask how in the world the characters did not know who Christ was. If we look at the text from the perspective of Christ's accusers I believe it is not difficult to understand why they doubted the diety of Christ. Let's face it, he was a bit weird. I mean healing people with his own authority and getting demons to tell him their name, come on who wouldn't be a bit freaked out?! I never thought of the impact of the uniqueness of Christ's ministry in corrolation to the other prophets, scribes, priests etc that were the norm of that time. I have to admit that I am encouraged that Jesus did not conform to the legalistic ministry of the early Jews and I'm sure he had fun ticking them off in the process at times.

-Steven

Please Jesus Leave!

In Mark 5:1-20, the story is told of The Demoniac man. Even though I find the whole story very entertaining something made me focus on one verse this time through. Verse 17 "Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region". The people seem afraid but what of, he just healed the most possesed man of the era. The pigs and the demons died in the lake. Why did they urge Jesus to leave was it because he had let the demons go into the pigs and now they are out of pocket the pigs that probably allow these families to eat. Is it possible they were just afraid of Jesus and what he had done, was beyond comprehension.

Blind Disciples

I found it very interesting the section in the Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels on Blindness. After I read Mark 6:14- 9:1, I found it very interesting how the disciples still were not getting it. They were with Jesus when he healed a deaf and mute man, then Jesus feeds the four thousand. After that Jesus warns them to watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod and the disciples think that he is just talking about bread. Following that Jesus heals a blind man and Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ. Right after that Peter rebukes Christ for Predicting his own death. They just did not get it. They had personal one on one relationship with Christ everyday but yet they could not comprehend the things that Christ was trying to teach them. But like this section in DJG says it was not until after Christ death that they finally realized and understood what he had been teaching them.

Good Ole' Faith Healin'

I found it quite interesting in the DJG reading concerning Jesus' healing how many facets of the idea of "healing" there are concerning Jesus' ministry. Taking a look at the different types of healings as well as their meanings and uses provides great insight as to the impact that they had on not only the people that experienced them, but those around them also. It turns out to be quite critical to look at the healings of Jesus because it was such a large part of his ministry. Plus, the fact that there are several types of healings within Jesus' ministry helps show not only the variety of people and situations he helped, but also his willingness to change everyone's heart adn life in whatever way they needed.

Jesus Didn't Get Lazy

Taking this class has been such a joy. I love being absorbed in and analyzing the life of Christ with such detail. I keep thinking about something that is completely obvious...Jesus was sought out everywhere he went, right? Well, Jesus had quite a bit on his plate. I mean, he was sent here to save the lost, make disciples, and he preformed miracles to heal and prove he was who he said he was. The entire time he did this, he was surrounded by people wanting to see and/or touch him. He definitely had a lot to deal with. He knew his time was limited, he had the worst pain of all to bear, and he didn't deserve one bit of it because he is perfect. During the time on earth, Jesus was fully aware of the events to come...and he went through it all anyway. He endured the pain. When tempted by Satan, Jesus was victorious. I realize this is a concept we were taught in Sunday school, but when I stop to re-think the mission Jesus set out to accomplish, I am in complete awe. My Jesus is perfect. My Jesus is strong. My Jesus endured humiliation and pain on that cross for not only me, but for everyone. I am more than thankful, but I also feel ashamed for those times that I fail and give him less than my best. I know I'm going to mess up, but that doesn't excuse anything. It is easy for me to slack off in my devotions and give myself excuses. I'm constantly surrounded by the "right" things...I go to church. I go to a Christian school. I hang out with Christian people. But quess what? That doesn't cut it. I have to give my best DAILY. The truth is, I get lazy sometimes. Jesus was never lazy in his ministry. I need to remember that the next time I want to slack off. He's the one I am to model my lifestyle after...

Help Me To See

As I tried to figure out which miracle passage to do my paper over I noticed some interesting things in the text. My decision for a passage came to between the blind man at Bethsaida or blind Bartimaeus. While looking at these two passages I realised how nicely they fit into the bigger picture of what was going on.
The first of the passages is the blind man at Bethsaida (Mark 8:22-26). This blind man is healed in two stages. After the first stage he can see, but not clearly. This passage comes right before Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ, but then shows he has no idea what it means for Jesus to be the Christ. Just like the blind man, Peter could see that Jesus was the Christ, but could not see clearly because he didn't know what this meant.
The second of the passages is blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52). It is the second and last time a blind man is healed in the book of Mark. Barimaeus' sight is completely healed and then he follows Jesus on the road to Jerusalem. This comes right after Jesus teaches on what it means to be a disciple. It seems that Mark once again was making a bigger point with this miracle story.
Was it just coincidence that these miracles happen just as Jesus is trying to get his audience to understand something or is the providence of God (Jesus Himself) at work here? I'll take the latter.

the demoniac

i am simply blown away by this text. mark 5:1-20 tells a beautiful story of a man who was posessed by Legion. the amazing thing about it is the demon's reaction. he honors Jesus by telling him his name and aknowledging his power over him as the Son of the Most High God. in contrast, when the man goes back to the town the people recognize him as the former demoniac and ask Jesus to leave. their fear of Jesus and his power is so great that they dont want anything to do with him. however, the one who experienced that power does want Jesus around but he does not stay for his sake. i just cannot help but wonder where we lost that fear. i am guilty of looking at Jesus as the sunday school poster sort of man who holds a toddler up in the air and smiles. while that is a part Jesus' personality, i think i should (and so should everyone else) remember the Jesus that got on the edge and scared people with his power. he drove demons out of a man who could not be controlled by anyone else! someone like that SHOULD be feared, yet like the man healed in this text, embraced into one's life as well.

The Rich Young Ruler

The rich young ruler in Mark 10:17-22, wanted to know how to inherit eternal life. He certainly asked the right man. The commands that Jesus mentioned in vs 19, had been kept from the rich young ruler's youth. In vs. 21, it gets tougher for the rich young ruler. Jesus told him to sell whatever he had and give to the poor...and "Come, take up the cross, and follow me." The rich young ruler, a few moments ago so eager, was now heartbroken, and went away grieved. He had to choose between self and self-denial, and he chose self. Had he been poor, I wonder if he would have made the same decision. I don't think he would have. He had so many possessions, he couldn't give them all up to follow Jesus. There seems to be a lot of people in the church that have an easy Christianity. It's casual, comfortable, and there are no hardships in Christianity. Many people are "getting saved" thinking they can continue their old lifestyle. Charles Poole says this: "If we 'get people saved' with the sweet-Jesus gospel that dangles before them the carrot of comfort and success, when do we pull back the carrot to reveal the cross?" Good question. However, compared to the burdens of sin and self....Jesus' yoke is easy and His burden is light.

A Headless, Resurrected Baptist is Travelling the Countryside

Mark 6:14-29 is the story of the beheading of John the Baptist. I've been thinking about how Mark ever received wind of what Herod was thinking about Jesus. How did Mark manage to hear about Herod's beheading of John the Baptist? The transmission of the Gospel to its original writer is a mystery but at the same time an extremely interesting avenue to proceed with only pure speculation to decide the outcome. Mark could have either drawn from Peter if Peter was who Mark used as a source or Mark could have drawn from oral tradition, not that it would be that old of a tradition. Somebody at the palace had to tell the story and it would just be interesting to know about that person or persons. Were they some palace guard who was just eavesdropping, was it an attendant of Herod, or was it even just bragging from Herodias or her daughter. However it was told and made its way to Mark who placed it in his Gospel. I find it fascinating the subject material of the Gospels I just wish we knew where exactly it came from. Mainly just because I find that interesting.

What were they thinking?

What could the disciple have been thinking when they seen Jesus walking on water. The text says they thought he was a ghost which is understandable. They were in the middle of a lake and they something walking on the water, how unbelievable would that be. Then Jesus walks up to the boat and is tells them to not be afraid its is just me. To me after Jesus had walked on water, not to mention he had just fed five thousand people with almost nothing, how could the disciples not venture to guess at who he was. I just try to imagine what i would think if i was in a boat in a pretty good wind storm and all of a sudden I look out and see ahuman figure walking over waves on the water toward the boat. I believe i would have ran and hid or started throwing things in the boat at him. It just blows my mind that Jesus just walked on the water to get to the boat and what could possibly runing through the disciples minds.

Andy

You want me to do what? With a what?

As I read in Mark 8(and so on) this week, I kept tripping over verse 34-9:1. It amazes me how I can go through life on idle with verses like this in the bible. "To deny myself" is probally the hardest task for me in this text. If I would deny myself more, I would be able to take up the cross and follow the Lord better. But it seems as though I can not keep tripping over my own self and my own self-centered ambitions. I know that I am not ashamed of God, however looking at my day to day actions I can see were God is not the topic of many of my coversations. I do not make it a habit to "include" God in everything I do. I often feel like Peter, not standing up for Christ and denying his very words. However, through this text I have realized that through prayer and practice, I can better serve the Lord and "Take up his Cross.""

"The Word of God Was Like Little Bitty Seeds"

Do you remember that song from children's church? Even with the interpretation of that parable being provided in Mark, I still struggle with understanding what it means, but I at least have the basics. For some reason, until Dr. Foster mentioned it in class, I assumed those listening knew what the parables of Jesus meant. I don't know why I thought that, but I did. If Jesus pretty much called the disciples clueless, then I'm in the same boat with them. I listened intently as Dr. Foster read the parable, struggling to block the meaning I know it to have out of my mind. I found it impossible to understand. I get the meaning because of the interpretations provided, not because I am a holy genius. I wonder how those listening came to understand and believe. Was it Jesus' authority, his works, the work of the Spirit? This revelation has provoked my decision to read all the gospels during my quiet times and to read them like it is my first time to read them...not knowing what will happen next, wowed by Christ's power, and thirsty to find out what will happen. I am putting myself in the disciples' place and am finding myself amazed by the things I find!
--Melanie

Amazing

The story of the Geresane Demoniac is amazing. I wanted to hear everything I could about that story. To think that such a crazy person exhisted is wild. I can not imagine such people that could not be restrained even by chains.Dr. Foster was right that Mark did a brilliant job in telling that story. It is interesting that we as christians use the broken chains analogy to describe God's power."The Lord can break those chains that bind you!" My thinking changed though, even a demoniac could break the chains. I serve the God that could heal even a man that was not bound by chains. He harnest an even greater power that is beyond an analogy, that changes lives! Jesus is amazing!

The Kingdom of God is like...

"How could they of missed it?" we often ask of the 12 disciples. "The kingdom of God is near," Jesus announced after being baptized in the Jordan River by John. Yet, they all missed it. Are we too in the same boat (Mark 4:35-41)? In the kingdom parables found in Mark 4:21-34, Jesus compares God's kingdom to the ordinary, a lamp, a measuring cup, a man who scatters seed on the ground, and a mustard seed. Garland warns of a pitfall that we should be careful of when interpreting these parables. "We too quickly identify the kingdom of God with our own human aspirations and institutions that 'reach unto heaven' and 'make us a name' (182). We become so wrapped up in the latest church trends and mass movements that we miss the kingdom of God. I am not putting down either of these, but to often I can get caught up in all the hype and all along I miss the kingdom of God at work in the world through the plain and ordinary. I do not find myself very often thinking of the Kingdom of God being like a tiny seed that simply grows into a shrub. Again Garland writes, "The spectacular exercise of power is not always a sign of real strength. God's reign, as Jesus pictures it, is not some massive juggernaut that mows down everything in its path. The sign's pointing to God' s reign appear to be incredibly humble even when it grows into a large shrub..."(184). I have been reminded that Jesus humbled himself and took on the form of a servant to usher in the kingdom and that in the ordinary I too can see the kingdom. May we all be a little more humble as servants of the Kingdom of God

Putting Off the Inevitable

Why did Jesus take so long to actually reach the pinnacle of his ministry. The Pinnacle, of course, being his crucifixion. Why did Jesus wait so long to actually sacrifice himself. If hypotheses about the length of his minstry being three years is correct, then he had plenty of opportunities to get in trouble and reach the cross. A large part of Mark's record of Jesus' ministry includes Jesus' telling everybody to keep his identity a secret.
I understand that we've talked about this already, but Jesus tried to keep himself a secret because he didn't want to die before he was ready. What was it, that he needed to get ready? Did he need to prepare himself, the disciples? Did he need to land the date right?
I think one possible answer can be seen in Peter's confession of Jesus' identity. Jesus asks the disciples who the people claim him to be. They say that the people mostly think of him as a prophet. He asks them who they think he is. Peter steps up and says, "You're Christ." Very good, Peter. Now the Christ is gonna suffer and die. Peter is taken aback by this and rebukes the very guy he just claimed to be the Christ.
Peter had come further than anyone else, in pinning down Jesus and what he was about. Peter was the first to acknowledge Jesus in that way. However, even with that knowledge, Peter still didn't understand Jesus' real mission.
If Jesus had started his minstry and made a quick name for himself and quickly been crucified, nobody would have understood what he was doing. Jesus waited, and elongated his ministry in order to teach the disciples what he was doing and why he was there. A shorter ministry would have left the world debating Jesus' purpose with no real substantial evidence to point to salvation. He needed his followers to understand why he needed to die, in order for them to tell the world what Jesus' sacrifice meant.

Alex H