THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 7:31-37 “Jesus put his fingers in the man’s ears, spit and touched the man’s tongue.” (Mark 7:33) I don’t know: this what I say when asked, ‘why finger in ear and spit in mouth?’ Aside from being weird and gross, it was also effective, it worked. Maybe Jesus had a reason for…
Like a surgeon’s knife
THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 7:24-30 “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” (Mark 7:27) Jesus is visiting Tyre, a non-Jewish area. But why does He call this woman a ‘dog’… not a very Jesus-like thing to say? He knows how the Canaanites and Jews felt about each other….
Think about it!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 7:14-23 “’Are you so dull?’ he asked. ‘Don’t you see that…’” (Mark 7:18) Here we see the problem with translation. The actual word describes not being able to understand, or figure things out. The words ‘are you so dull’ carry a connotation that does not sound like Jesus. (But maybe that is…
The Jesus Way of blessing!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Psalm 128 “Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him.” (Psalm 128:1) God is the center of all life, all reality. God made us free to choose, to partner with Him in ruling the world. But our choices need to be wise, to line up with the way…
Humble my opinions!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Proverbs 15 “Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the Lord, and humility comes before honor.” (Proverbs 15:33) After years of trying to figure things out, I’ve learned that I can’t. Many of the things I thought I was certain about, I no long hold with confidence. Its not that I have given in to…
A heart at peace gives life!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Proverbs 14 “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” (Proverbs 14:30) Today there were many proverbs I wanted to reflect on. What struck me about this one is that it seems to speak to a deeper issue. This proverbs says ‘envy’ rots the bones, but there…
When tradition gets in the way
THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 7:1-13 “Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down.” (Mark 7:13) What place should tradition have in our following Jesus? Tradition is the faith and practice of Jesus followers before us. “Tradition is the living faith of the dead, traditionalism is the dead faith of…
Still reaching out to Jesus!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 6:53-56 “All who touched (even the edge of his cloak) were healed.” (Mark 6:56) As a Jesus follower, I believe the stories about how Jesus healed people. But one challenge to my faith is that I do not see healings like this today. Don’t get me wrong, I hear stories about healing,…
Going deeper with God!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 6:45-52 “After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.” (Mark 6:46) We were made to live in close fellowship with God… like Jesus. We were also made to live in authority over creation, not in fear of it. Living independently of God, creation becomes a threat and we live…
His compassion for me, through me!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 6:30-44 “When Jesus saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them.” (Mark 6:34) Jesus is concerned for his disciples, and invites them to a quiet time of retreat. Jesus is concerned for the desperate, and teaches them about God’s kingdom. Jesus is concerned for you, for me, and for all people….