Mark 7:9-13

Passage

Jesus takes the point one step further.  Not only are the Pharisees guilty of teaching man’s law as though it was God’s Law; they are also guilty of rejecting God’s Law in favor of man’s law!  Jesus reminds us that God’s Law teaches us that we should honor our father and mother.  However, the Jews had made up a law which allows a child to dedicate anything they want to God and in so doing they do not need to provide for their parents out of that part that was dedicated.  Therefore, the Jews had managed to find a way of negating God’s command to honor one’s father and mother.  Jesus then assures us that there are many examples beyond this one.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

The example that Jesus uses may seem a little convoluted.  Here’s how it goes.  Often as a child matured and became an adult his parents would age and be unable to support themselves.  Or perhaps the father would die and their mother couldn’t support herself.  Under God’s Law, the child is responsible for helping to care for their parents (honoring them).  But under this manmade Jewish law, called Corban, a child could dedicate a portion (or all) of their wealth to God.  In this case, the child was released from needing to support the parent(s) out of that dedicated part.  After all, the Jews argued that things dedicated to God would naturally have to be used at the temple or synagogue because God’s place was higher than any human.  However, fundamentally this practice is circumventing God’s Law.  While certainly we should respect the happenings of the temple and the synagogue, God does not want us to use Him as a means of allowing our parents to suffer.  Thus, quite literally the Jews had found a way to not show honor to their parents but make it seem like they were doing it out of a higher calling to God.

Why is this kind of thinking dangerous?  How easy is it for us to actually neglect God’s ways while we are thinking that we are serving God?  Have you ever met people who try to use God in a way that made them seem holy but in reality they were neglecting a true spiritual life?

Second Thought:

Using this as a test case, Jesus then argues that the Jews have actually become guilty of rejecting God’s Law.  It’s one thing to make a mistake.  It is another thing to reject.  Rejecting something implies intent.  It implies thought.  It implies a conscious choice.  Rejecting implies a definite need to repent.  Imagine being guilty of rejecting God’s Law and hearing Him call you on it.

How is every sin an act of rejecting God’s Law?  How does it make you feel to be confronted with that reality?  How does this thought make you feel about repentance and the desire to change towards God?  What are the ways that you are guilty of rejecting God’s Law?

Third Thought:

Jesus tells us for certain that this is only one example.  The reality is that the Jewish legal system had many such ways of circumventing God’s desire for community.  They Jewish leaders had come up with all kind of “loopholes” to allow them to not behave in a desired manner but to make it seem like they were still a good person.  It was all an external perception.  They were all about using religion to rationalize how to really get their own way.  Jesus was right to say earlier that the Pharisees worship God with their lips but their hearts were far from Him.

What parts of our society allow us to seem like a good person but still not be obedient to God?  What parts of our church allow us to appear as good people but still leave us spiritually far from God?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 7:14-19

Mark 7:6-8

Passage

In these verses Jesus begins a fairly long dialogue about what defiles a person.  He begins with the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and scribes.  Jesus warns them that they speak righteously as though everything is right with them and God yet their heart is in truth nowhere near God.  Their worship is in vain as they teach the commandments of men as though they were commandments from God.  In fact, they abandon what God has said for what mankind has made up.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Hypocrisy is a strong word.  What I love about the word is that it comes from the ancient Greek word for an actor.  Literally, an actor in ancient Greece was called a “hupokrites” (pronounced who-poh-krih-tays.)  It means “one who pretends or puts on a false face.”  If you think about what an actor does, that fits the bill!  An actor takes on a different persona for the length of the scene, play, show, or movie.  That is also exactly what a hypocrite does.  They put on a face that looks right from the outside but it isn’t anything more than skin deep.  We need to be careful about taking this approach to our relationship with God.  A relationship with God that is only skin deep is no real relationship at all.

In what areas of your life are you true with God all the way to the core of your being?  In what areas of your life are you true with God only as it pertains to how you appear to other people?  What can you do about these areas?

Second Thought:

Jesus also criticizes the way that they speak.  Hypocrisy is not just an action, but a form of communication.  When we speak about ourselves, we can either give a true impression of the person we really are or we can give a fake impression of what we say is happening in our life.  To use today’s vernacular, we can be real or we can be a show.  We can talk about our successes and our failures or we can talk as though everything in our life is absolutely perfect.  One of those paths leads to a true relationship with God and others.  The other path leads to hypocrisy.

Why is what we say to other people important?  How can our being authentic and transparent in our own lives lead to others feeling as though they genuinely know us as people?

Third Thought:

Then Jesus speaks to them about their teaching.  They are teaching human understanding as though it was doctrine.  They are teaching what they want life to be like rather than what God wants life to be like.  We see people in the world do something bad and the next thing we’ve made up a rule to prevent it from happening.  Yet, the rule we make up may not be God’s will.  In fact, the rule we make up might actually interfere with someone else’s ability to accomplish God’s will.  The problem is when we begin to think of our own rules as being equal to God’s rules.

What are some things that you can think of that are rules we have made up and treat as God’s rules when they really aren’t?  Why do we as human beings like to make up rules for ourselves rather than simply trusting in the order that God has provided?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 7:9-13

Mark 7:1-5

Passage

Some Pharisees and scribes gathered around Jesus as He was going about.  They noticed that His disciples ate with defiled hands – that is, with hands that have not been ritualistically cleaned according to the Jewish law.  The Jews have many traditional laws that mandate how they must wash their hands prior to eating after coming in contact with common places such as markets.  They also have many traditions according to cups and cooking vessels and even what furniture they can have.  So the Pharisees ask Jesus why it is that His disciples don’t eat according to the tradition of the elders with respect to washing their hands.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

The Jews had many traditions.  We have to understand that some of these traditions come out of the Law that God gave to Moses as recorded in the Old Testament.  But many more came out of manmade tradition.  In the case of this particular story, these laws about washing hands are laws that come out of the tradition of mankind.  So when the Pharisees and the scribes speak this way to Jesus, we must understand that the Pharisees aren’t accusing Jesus of breaking God’s Law but rather Jewish tradition.

Why is this an important distinction to make?  Do you believe God’s Law is eternal?  Do you believe tradition is eternal?  What is the difference between God’s Law and manmade tradition?

Second Thought:

Mark makes it clear to his audience that there are many other traditions.  In fact, in reading Mark he takes on a bit of a disparaging tone with respect to all the Jewish tradition.  There is a point where tradition gets in the way of function.  Tradition can get in the way of being able to hold onto the meaning of a situation or an experience.  Tradition can become what we do while enabling us to lose sight of why we are doing it.

Have you ever experienced this in your life?  Are there things you do because they’ve always been done that way and you don’t remember why you do it that way?  How do we get into that mindset to begin with?

Third Thought:

Because the Pharisees and the scribes are about following tradition, they assume that Jesus should be as well.  They ask Jesus why His disciples aren’t following the tradition.  In their question is an assumption of superiority that tradition is better.

Do we make assumptions about our traditions?  When does tradition actually make something better?  When does tradition hinder an experience?  How can we tell the difference?  How hard is it to act when tradition gets in the way of doing something?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 7:6-8

Mark 6:53-56

Passage

This time across the ocean they land in Gennesaret.  When they got out of the boat, people immediately began to recognize Jesus.  They went around and got out their sick and brought them to Jesus – on their beds if necessary.  Wherever Jesus went they brought the sick to Him while He was in the public places and they implored Him to even allow them to touch the fringe of His garment.  As many as touched it were made well.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Remember that this journey with the disciples originally began with Jesus needing to spend some time alone with the disciples to debrief their own missionary journey.  From there they had the crowd with the miraculous feeding.  Then they had an incredibly stormy night.  Now they are in yet another place and unable to really find any sort of peace.  Such is often the life of a person truly following Jesus.  There are always people in the world who need what God has to offer.  This is a fact that will never change.

Why is this world full of so many people who need God?  Do you think the people who need God the most realize it?  Why or why not?

Second Thought:

They bring their sick to Jesus and implore that they let them touch Him.  They make an earnest request on behalf of their sick.  They want their sick to be healed.

How often do we come to Jesus because of our agenda?  Is that always right?  Is it always wrong?  What is the danger of coming to Jesus on our terms and not His?  What is the importance of being open to listening to God regardless of why we initially come to Jesus?

Third Thought:

All who touched Jesus were healed.  Every single one.  This sentence is fraught with learning.  First, there is no limit to God’s grace.  All were healed.  Second, Jesus doesn’t really care about whether the people come with the proper intentions.  Everyone got what they wanted.  Third, notice that it wasn’t just those whom Jesus touched.  It was all who touched Him.  God is willing to work through multiple means.

Where do your thoughts lead you with respect to all being healed?  How great is your God?  What is the proper response to a story like this?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 7:1-5

Mark 6:48-52

Passage

Jesus saw that the disciples were making difficult progress against the wind.  It was already late in the evening.  Jesus walked upon the water, and He meant to walk past them.  However, when the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water they cried out and were terrified because they thought it was a ghost.  Jesus comforted them, telling them that it was Him.  He got into the boat with them and the wind ceased.  They were completely astonished by this turn of events, because they hadn’t understood the loaves and their hearts had been hardened.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Today we can see the second reason that Jesus commands them into the boat immediately after the miracle of the fish and bread.  The disciples didn’t understand the miracle.  In fact, let’s put this in context.  They had earlier been sent out by Jesus to do mission work and it had been an absolute success.  When they returned to Jesus they got to experience an incredible miracle with fish and bread – a miracle they didn’t understand.  I can only imagine how big their heads were getting.  I can only imagine how impressed with themselves they must have gotten.  Add to this the fact that they didn’t understand what was going on and this was a recipe for disaster.  They needed to be sent away for not only protection, but for some time of humbling.  They needed to be shown how dangerous it is to act upon spiritual things they don’t understand.

What is the danger to you when you act upon things you don’t understand and have not fully processed?  What is the danger to others?  How diligent are you about processing your spiritual life and the spiritual things happening around you?

Second Thought:

 How does Jesus point out to the disciples that they need to come back to reality?  He intentionally sends them into a storm.  Think about it.  Jesus had to know the winds were coming.  He’s God, after all.  This passage also tells us that His intention was to walk by the boat and let the disciples continue to struggle against the storm.  Jesus put His disciples into the boat to protect their faith from the passion of the crowd as we saw yesterday.  But we can also see that Jesus put them in the boat to protect them from their own growing ego.  Jesus places them in a time of humbling and struggle so that they might realize the importance of relying upon God and not our own understanding.  As this passage indicates, when we rely upon our own understanding (or lack thereof) our hearts are hardened.

Why do we as human beings have a tendency to act upon our own understanding?  How does it make you feel to realize that Jesus intentionally put His disciples in the path of the storm?  Actually, how does it make you feel knowing that this is the second time that Jesus has put His disciples in the direct path of a storm with which they were to struggle?  (See Mark 4:35-41)

Third Thought:

The disciples were terrified.  They cried out.  Suddenly, they come face to face with their humanity.  They come face to face with just how much they don’t understand.  They come face to face with the humbling realization that they aren’t as big and powerful and mighty as they thought they were.  They cry out; Jesus is there to rescue them.  He gets into the boat and the winds cease.  They were astonished and still struggling to comprehend.

Have you ever had a moment in your life when you had nowhere to go but to cry out in your anger, fear, or frustration?  How did that feel?  Have you ever had a moment when God saved you in a situation from which you really didn’t deserve to be saved?  How did that make you feel?  Why is it important for us as human beings to occasionally go through storms in life?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 6:53-56

Mark 6:45-47

Passage

Immediately, Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and head over to the other side while He dismissed the crowds.  After He had dismissed the crowds, He went up the mountain to pray by Himself.  When evening came, the boat was out on the sea while He was alone.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Immediately.  Here is that word again.  It’s been a long time since we’ve seen it, but here it appears.  Once more Jesus responds immediately.  In this case, it is immediately after the miracle.  What’s going on here?  Immediately after a miracle occurs, Jesus directs His disciples to leave.  I think there are two things at work here.  One we’ll talk about today; one I’ll save for tomorrow.  First, I think Jesus is protecting His disciples.  John 6:14-15 tells us that the crowd was thinking about taking Jesus at that moment and declaring Him king.  His disciples didn’t need that kind of temptation.  It would be too easy for His disciples to get pulled into that kind of crowd.  They weren’t mature enough in their spirituality.  So Jesus sends them away to protect their young faith from human temptation.

What role do spiritual mentors have with respect to protecting their mentees?  How can this passage teach spiritual leaders to try to put their mentees in positions where their faith can be nurtured and grow?

Second Thought:

Once His disciples were gone, Jesus dismissed the crowds.  Jesus dealt with the crud of human beings trying to mold Jesus into what they wanted Him to be.  Jesus deals with the organizational junk.  As the Son of God, Jesus knows that He can deal with people and not lose sight of the overall vision.

What can this passage teach us about the need for leaders to stay true to the vision?  What can this passage tell us about the importance of knowing the vision so that we can stay true to God’s plan?

Third Thought:

Jesus goes up the mountainside to pray.  He first took care of His disciples.  He then dealt with the crowd.  Now He needed to commune with the Father.  The crowds no doubt wore Him out as they were trying to take Him and make Him king and force Him into the “Messiah” that they wanted Him to be.  He needed to have some time to abide with the Father.

Do you see Jesus modeling the importance of “abiding with God?”  What is so important about having time with the Father?  How does it make you feel to see that even Jesus needed to have time to recuperate from His interactions with the world?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 6:48-52

Mark 6:41-44

Passage

Jesus took the food, looked to heaven, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to the disciples to hand out to the crowds.  He also divided up the fish.  Everyone ate and was satisfied.  When everyone was finished, they took up twelve baskets of leftover pieces of bread and fish.  There were about 5,000 people.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Jesus took the food and looked up to heaven.  This may be a very simple point, but Jesus makes a point to look to God.  I’ve always wondered why people bow their head when they pray.  {I know the answer … it is a sign of humbleness.  I get that.}  But a few years back I started to occasionally look up to heaven when I pray sometimes.  After all, it is from heaven where I expect the source of help, love, and righteousness to come!  Now, I don’t mean to say that bowing our heads is wrong.  In no way is it wrong.  But occasionally I think it is good to remember when we pray we might as well look up, because we expect our answer to come from God!

Do you think it really matters which direction we point our head when we pray?  What it the most important aspect that we bring to prayer?  Why is it important to remember that it is through prayer that we are often most connected to God?  How can you help yourself to remember that God is our source of help, strength, hope, love, etc?

Second Thought:

Jesus broke up the food and handed it out to the disciples.  Again, imagine what they had to be thinking.  Sure, Jesus had blessed it.  But it was 5 loaves and 2 fish.  I bet they were preparing themselves for a major shortfall.  As we talked much about yesterday, they were still absolutely obedient.  Then everyone ate!  There was so much abundance that they had twelve baskets full.  The word basket here represents something about the size of a decent backpack.  5 loaves and 2 fish becomes a meal for 5,000 and 12 backpacks.  Not only did they feed an incredible amount of people – they were left with more pieces than they began with in total!

How does this passage speak to the abundance of God?  How do these verses talk to us about remembering that God is the source of our provision and physical needs? 

Third Thought:

The people not only ate, but they were satisfied.  They were fed, and fed to the point of feeling as though they had a meal.  They were nourished.  This wasn’t just some snack or some “hold-over-to-the-next-meal.”  This was a genuine eating to the point of satisfaction.

How do these verses talk about us remembering that God is also the true source of our satisfaction?  Do you really believe that the things with which God is involved will satisfy you more than the things with which God is not involved?  Does this play out in your life?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 6:45-47

Mark 6:38-40

Passage

Jesus told the disciples to go and find out how many loaves of bread and fish they have.  The disciples obeyed and they came back saying they had 5 loaves and 2 fish.  Jesus told them all to sit down.  They did sit down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Once it is proven that the disciples have a lesson to learn, Jesus steps up into teacher mode.  He takes charge, takes command, and leads.  This is a point that I think is new to me in recent months.  So much of our churches are based on “communal learning process.”  We teach each other, right?  I think our churches have gotten this way because our culture has also gotten that way, too.  While there is a time and a place for this type of “communal teaching,” I also think we need to see that this is not the model of Jesus.  Jesus takes charge and teaches.  It is Jesus who transmits culture.  In this life, we need leaders and mentors to teach us, guide us, and direct us.

What is the benefit of having a spiritual teacher who can take charge?  What value is there in having an “expert” who can guide, direct, shepherd, and consider the end result?

Second Thought:

The disciples submit.  Can you imagine what they are thinking as they hear Jesus?  They are in a desolate place.  They’ve been out there all day.  Who could have brought enough food for the crowd?  They have got to know just how insane Jesus’ suggestion is.  Even from the perspective of the results of their search Jesus’ idea has to seem insane.  5 loaves?  2 fish?  Imagine what the disciples are thinking.  Yet, they obey.  They submit to the leadership of Christ.

What is necessary in a community for that community to follow a leader?  Why is this idea of submission so vital in spiritual community?  Why do you think the idea of submission is often so strongly resisted?

Third Thought:

Jesus instructs the people to sit down.  Again they obey.  Everyone must surely see the insanity in the direction that Jesus is headed.  But they still obey.  5 loaves, 2 fish, and then Jesus asks them to sit down.  I’m sure there had been a few gifted people with math in the congregation.  1/1000 of a piece of fish?  1/2500 of a loaf of bread?  Can you even hold that small of a piece, much less even taste it and have it satisfy you?  Yet they still obey Jesus simply because He told them to.

Why is submission to Christ of ultimate importance?  How do you submit to Him in your life?  How do you not submit?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 6:41-44

Mark 6:35-37

Passage

As Jesus was teaching the hour grew late.  His disciples came to Jesus and reminded Him that they had come to a desolate place.  They also reminded Him that the people were hungry.  They urged Jesus to send the crowd away so that they could buy food to eat.  Jesus told the disciples to give the people something to eat.  The disciples reply that they don’t have the kind of resources to even buy bread for all of the people.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

The disciples come to Jesus with some obvious problems.  It is getting late.  People are hungry.  There isn’t any place around to get any kind of food.  These are all very real problems.  However, they are also very worldly problems.  It is sometimes easy to miss the spiritual moments in life when we are focused on the worldly problems occurring all around us.

Why do we focus on the worldly problems?  When is it absolutely okay to focus on the worldly problems?  When can focusing on the worldly problems cause us to miss the spiritual moments going on around us?

Second Thought:

The disciples urge Jesus to send away the crowd.  Jesus is in the middle of teaching a very captive audience, and the disciples tell Him to send the people away.  From the perspective of the world, this request absolutely makes sense.  The people are probably tired and hungry and there is no place to find respite where they currently are.  However, from a spiritual sense, the request makes no sense.  There are moments in other people’s lives where they are sensitive to the movement of the Holy Spirit.  We need to learn to take advantage of those moments regardless of the worldly circumstances going on.

Have you ever interrupted someone else’s spiritual moment because of your focus on worldly concerns?  How does that make you feel?  What can we do to try and be more spiritually aware so that we don’t let the worldly concerns interrupt what God is doing in our life?

Third Thought:

The disciples just aren’t seeing through the eyes of Jesus.  This isn’t a slam on them; the reality is that Jesus is still in the process of making them disciples.  They are still learning.  This is part of the learning process.  Jesus isn’t angry with them; He is merely exposing the areas where they need to grow.  Jesus tells them to feed the crowd and they just don’t see how.  They are in need of learning a greater lesson themselves.

Have you ever been in a position where you just didn’t see what other spiritual people could understand?  Why is it easy in those times to get angry, defensive, jealous, or even embarrassed?  What really should be our response when we see that we have a place for growth to happen?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 6:38-40

Mark 6:33-34

Passage

Many in the crowds saw Jesus and His disciples as they withdrew to the desolate place.  Since they wanted to follow, they ran along the shoreline to where Jesus and His disciples were headed.  By the time Jesus and His disciples got to shore, a great crowd had gathered.  He had compassion upon them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.  Jesus taught them many things.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

So go the best laid plans of mice and men.  Jesus wants to get alone time with His disciples.  He wants them to have a break and to be able to reflect on their life.  However, that simply isn’t going to happen.  The crowds see Jesus and His disciples and cut Him off at the pass.  They figure out where He is headed and walk around to the place faster than Jesus can get there by boat.  Sometimes you just don’t get the peace and rest that you want.  Sometimes the world makes demands upon you when you aren’t ready to fulfill them.

Have you ever had people who seem to always want on their schedule regardless of whether or not you are prepared or able to give?  Why do you think the crowds didn’t let Jesus have His alone time with the disciples?

Second Thought:

What’s worse, the gathering crowd attracts all kinds of attention from the neighboring towns.  As people walk the shoreline to get to Jesus, all kinds of other people start to gather with them.  Curiosity about Jesus gets the better of people.  By the time Jesus makes landfall, there are thousands of curious onlookers waiting to see about this Jesus.

What can this passage teach us about natural human curiosity?  Is there a way to use that to our advantage as Christians?  When is curiosity a good thing?  When might it be a bad thing?

Third Thought:

Jesus has compassion.  They are like sheep without a shepherd.  They are looking for pasture, but have nobody there to lead them to pasture.  Like sheep, the people are merely looking for someone to follow.

Do you think human beings are natural followers or natural leaders – generally speaking?  Why would you make that claim?  How is this understanding related to why Jesus would have compassion?  How does this understanding relate to the importance of discipleship and the Holy Spirit turning us into leaders who can disciple others?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 6:35-37

Mark 6:30-32

Passage

The apostles return to Jesus after having been sent out.  They told Jesus all that they had done and taught.  Jesus invited them to go away with Him for a little while in order to rest.  This was because there were so many people coming and going that they didn’t even have any time to eat.  So they went away in a boat to a desolate place in order to get some time alone.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

The apostles come back to Jesus.  They appear quite excited about what they’ve been able to accomplish.  They tell Jesus not only what they were able to do but also what they were able to teach.  Here we get a clear picture that being a disciple is not just about doing God’s work but also teaching God’s ways.  We must be sure to talk about God and walk with God.

Have you ever been a part of doing something special and feeling as though God was a part of it?  Why do those types of events generate enthusiasm?  Have you ever been able to teach something spiritual to someone else?  How does it feel to convey information that is likewise meaningful to you?

Second Thought:

After the disciples returned, they continued to be very busy.  There can be no doubt that there were still people coming to Jesus as had been happening before the disciples were sent out.  But now that they have returned with some success, they have likely attracted a little following for themselves, too.  Grouping them all together with Jesus would only serve to heighten the attraction of the crowd to them and make their lives busier.

Have you ever had a moment in your life when you wanted to be alone but other people kept demanding your time?  Have you ever had a moment when you just wanted to be alone with a spiritual mentor and others kept getting in the way?  How normal do you think this reality actually is in life?

Third Thought:

Jesus knows what the disciples need.  They need a weekend retreat to simply get away.  They need some time off.  They need some time to be able to do some serious reflecting on their life.  They need some time away from the crowds so that they can figure out exactly what God is doing in their life.  So Jesus invites them into a desolate place so that they might have some time alone.  It just so happens that the desolate place is on a boat in the middle of a lake.

How often do you need time alone to process life?  How do you process your life?  Do you have spiritual mentors and friends that help you process your life?  Do you ever feel good about getting away from the “crowd” and stress in life?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 6:33-34

Mark 6:26-29

Passage

Herod was very sad to hear the request from Herodias’ daughter.  However, he didn’t want to break his oath in front of all these leading Galileans.  Thus, Herod sent an executioner to deliver John’s head to him.  The executioner went and did as he was ordered, bringing John’s head on a platter to Herodias’ daughter.  Herodias’ daughter in turn presented it to her mother.  When the disciples of John the Baptizer heard about this, they came and took John’s body and laid it in a tomb.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Herod was sad to hear the request.  However, he was not sad enough to actually go back against his word.  Herod allows his public persona to rule over his inner conscience.  Herod knows the request is a bad one; it is why it brings him grief.  But he allows the perceptions of the world to influence him into making the wrong decision.  In this story we can see Herod as a weak-willed man who does not have the ability to make the right decision in the face of peer-pressure.

Have you ever been pressured into making the wrong decision?  How does it feel to be in the middle of having to choose between doing the right thing and doing the thing that makes a person save face?  How does it feel after we’ve made the wrong decision and have to live with it?

Second Thought:

Once Herod makes his decision, the process falls into place.  The executioner does his job.  Herodias’ daughter does her job.  Herodias gets her way.  Once Herod has succumbed to peer-pressure, there is nothing that is going to stop the inevitable from happening.  Those who are in power are quite often the last line of defense.  When they crumble, everything else crumbles behind them.

Why is it important for leaders to understand their place?  What does this story have to say to leaders about taking the time to make the right decision and not the popular decision?

Third Thought:

John’s disciples come and claim the body.  I can only imagine how difficult that day would have been. Imagine losing the person who was fundamental to teaching the faith to you.  Then imagine knowing how he died – his head separated from his shoulders.  Yet, they came and showed respect to the dead anyway.  They were obedient in spite of how difficult the moment most certainly was.

Why is it important for John’s disciples to come and bury him?  What purpose would this event serve in their life?  How can final moments like this actually propel us forward into God’s calling for us for the rest of our life?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 6:30-32

Mark 6:24-25

Passage

Herodias’ daughter went out to her mother and asked her, “What should I request?”  Herodias said, “The head of John the Baptizer.”  Herodias’ daughter immediately came in and told Herod that she wanted John the Baptizer’s head on a platter.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Herodias’ daughter immediately left the room where the men were gathered.  This tells us a number of things.  Perhaps the girl wasn’t old enough to make her own decision.  More likely, this indicates what we spoke of yesterday in that Herodias had schemed this event from the very beginning and Herodias had not yet told her daughter the final step in the plan.  The fact that Herodias’ daughter goes to her mother before replying is one more indicator that she is just a subtle pawn in the adult scheme of Herodias.

What does it say about Herodias that she would go to such lengths?  What does it also say about Herodias’ perspective on her daughter that she did not give her daughter the full plan ahead of time?  What does it say about Herodias’ daughter in that she goes to her mother before answering Herod’s request?

Second Thought:

Herodias tells her daughter that she wants the head of John the Baptizer.  The request is simple and direct.  The plan has unfolded and Herodias has gotten her request.  She will finally take the upper hand and from a worldly perspective “win.”

Why do we let grudges build to the point of having to “win?”  Why do we let people anger us so much that we have to get the last word and have it be final?  What really happens when the “conversation ends?”  What is the ultimate consequence for Herodias as she gets her way?

Third Thought:

Herodias’ daughter goes back into the room full of men and states her mother’s request.  Her usefulness as a pawn in her mother’s scheme is complete.  However, it is possible that she might be a willing pawn.  After all, she doesn’t seem bothered by the request that her mother makes.  She is being used in a deadly scheme, but she may not be completely innocent, either.

If she is not completely innocent, how would a child get this way?  What does it say about Herodias’s parenting that her daughter would be able to make such a request in the first place?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 6:26-29

Mark 6:21-23

Passage

One day, while John was in Herod’s prison, an opportunity for his death arose.  On his birthday, Herod gave a banquet for nobles and military generals in his honor.  Herodias’ daughter came in and danced for Herod and his men, and it pleased Herod.  Herod asked the girl to name anything and he would give it to her – even up to half his kingdom.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

We are told that a “favorable day” came for John to die.  We must ask: favorable for whom?  Certainly it was not favorable for John the Baptizer.  It was also not favorable for Herod, because he enjoyed listening to John.  Thus, the favorable day must have been for Herodias.  After all, she is the one who bore the grudge!  This phrase indicates that there is some planning behind this event.  This is not simple an event that fell into her lap of which she then took advantage.  This was an event that had planning and scheming behind it.

Have you ever heard someone say, “You make your own fate?”  What does that mean?  How many true coincidences do you think we have in life?  How much planning do you actually do when reaping the benefits of life that come your way?  What does this part of the story reveal to us about Herodias and her drive to get what she wants?

Second Thought:

Herod receives his step-daughter’s dance.  Herod allows his step daughter to come in and dance for these leading men of Galilee.  There is an inherent corruptness revealed here.  Adults are supposed to be protecting the innocence of youth, not corrupting it.  Adults are to guard youth, not expose them to corruption.  Rather, we see that not only was Herodias using her daughter as part of the scheme, but Herod was likewise involved in allowing his step-daughter to be a part of a provocative moment with adult men.

What does it say about Herod and Herodias that they allowed Herodias’ daughter to be used in these manners?  In what ways do you see parents today falling short of their God-given mandate to protect their children and guard for their safety?

Third Thought:

Herod makes a foolish bargain.  The expression “up to half my kingdom” was probably an idiom, for no ruler would truly actually give up any sizeable portion of their governed land.  However, the expression likely meant, “Ask for something really profound, I want to reward you.”  Herod sets himself up to be used as a pawn in Herodias’ plan by making a foolish promise.

How do we get ourselves messed up into the schemes of other people?  How can we keep ourselves from getting entwined into the schemes of others?  What do you think Herod’s greatest fault is so far in this story?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 6:24-25

Mark 6:17-20

Passage

Herod (Herod Antipas, to be clear) had seized John the Baptizer and put him in prison.  John the Baptizer had been critical of Herod’s marriage.  After all, Herod had married Heriodias, who was his brother’s wife.  Therefore, Herodias had a grudge against John the Baptizer and sought to kill him.  However, Herod feared John the Baptizer because he knew that John the Baptizer was a righteous and holy man.  Herod had kept him safe and even listened to him – although he was perplexed by John the Baptizer.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

It was Heriodias who bore the grudge.  Herod may not have appreciated the messages against his marriage, but it was Herodias who bore the grudge.  We must be careful in our relationships with other people that we do not become slaves to the agendas and grudges that other people bear – even those agendas and grudges of spouses.

Why is it easy to get sucked into the agenda or grudge of a spouse or another person that we love?  What troubles and problems are brought about by such a reality?

Second Thought:

Herod had taken his brother’s wife for his own.  This is not particularly offensive under the Jewish Law if done for the correct spiritual and legal reasons.  However, this particular arrangement was done for neither legal nor spiritual reasons.  This arrangement was achieved because Herod divorced his first wife, Phasaelis, in order to be able to marry his brother’s wife.  John the Baptizer saw in Herod Antipas the worldly approach to marriage and divorce and rightfully condemned it.

What traits does Herod display by divorcing his first wife in order to marry his brother’s wife?  Do you think the majority of the world struggles with any of the traits displayed in this action?

Third Thought:

In spite of the condemnation of John the Baptizer, Herod still was fascinated by John.  John lived by a different agenda.  John’s priorities in life were different by default.  John’s followers followed John for reasons different than a normal celebrity.  There was something fascinating about John the Baptizer – fascinating enough to evoke a certain level of protection around John in spite of his condemnation of Herod’s marriage to Herodias.  Yet, although Herod was fascinated by John’s teachings he was perplexed by them.  Herod was not willing to give himself over to what John the Baptizer taught.

What does it take to give oneself over to teachings that evoke change or even perplexity?  Why do you think Herod enjoyed listening to John in spite of being perplexed and even attacked by John?  Why do you think Herod never gave himself up to John’s teachings and embraced the truth of John’s teaching?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 6:21-23

Mark 6:14-16

Passage

Even King Herod had heard about Jesus, for His name had become well known among the people.  Some people believed that Jesus was John the Baptizer raised from the dead because the same kind of miraculous powers people saw in John they were now seeing in Jesus.  Other people called Him Elijah.  Still other people called Him a generic prophet, like they had in prior days.  When Herod heard about Jesus, he believed that it was John the Baptizer raised from the dead because Herod had John beheaded.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

People recognized the power that they saw in Jesus.  They recognized it because they had seen it in John the Baptizer.  They recognized it because it came from the same God.  When God’s Spirit is at work in and working through people, it is very recognizable to those who know for what they should be looking.

How to you recognize God’s Spirit at work in yourself?  How do you recognize God’s Spirit at work in others?  What do you do once you see God’s Spirit at work?

Second Thought:

Some people were calling Jesus by the name of Elijah.  In Judaism, it is believed that Elijah is the greatest prophet to have ever lived.  It is also believed that Elijah will come a second time in advance of the Messiah.  When Elijah comes again, it is believed that he will come again with great power and authority.

Of course, these people were so close the truth could have bitten them.  Jesus was not Elijah, but the Messiah Himself!  It is John the Baptizer who served the role of Elijah to announce the coming of the Messiah.

How do we know that Jesus was the Messiah who was to come?  How then can we see John the Baptizer as fulfilling the role of Elijah as one who comes in power and authority to prepare the way for God’s Messiah?

Third Thought:

Herod chooses to believe that Jesus is John the Baptizer come again.  Herod has a guilty conscience.  He knows what he did to John the Baptizer.  It is easy for him to see what is happening and believe that fate – or something worse – is out to get even with him.  Rather than humble Himself before God’s truth, Herod chooses to believe that the world continues to revolve around him.  Rather than consider what God may be doing for the sake of the world through Jesus, Herod believes that Jesus is there to haunt him.

How does Herod allow his ego to get in the way of seeing God’s truth?  Why do humans in general have a problem seeing truth because of their own ego and self-centered perspective on the events of the world?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 6:17-20

Mark 6:10-13

NOTE: Because of an inability to post during the upcoming days, I have posted ahead of schedule.  You may scroll down to see the passage that you are studying for the particular day.  You may also click on the passage in the list below and be taken straight to the post for which you are looking.  The schedule that I followed is this:

FRIDAY, April 5: Mark 5:21-24
SATURDAY, April 6: Mark 5:25-29
SUNDAY, April 7: Mark 5:30-34
MONDAY, April 8: Mark 5:35-37
TUESDAY, April 9: Mark 5:38-40
WEDNESDAY, April 10: Mark 5:41-43
THURSDAY, April 11: Mark 6:1-3
FRIDAY, April 12: Mark 6:4-6
SATURDAY, April 13: Mark 6:7-9
SUNDAY, April 14: Mark 6:10-13

----

FOR SUNDAY, April 14

Passage

Jesus instructs the disciples that whenever they go into a location, they are to stay there until they leave the place entirely.  Jesus also tells the disciples that if a place will not receive them, then they are to shake the dust off of their feet and leave as a testimony against them.  The disciples follow Jesus’ instructions and proclaim that people should repent.  They cast out many demons and healed many who were sick.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Jesus is not telling the disciples that if they go into a person’s home that they cannot leave that home until they are ready to leave the whole town.  Rather, Jesus is telling the disciples to remain focused.  If God calls them to a particular town or a particular household, that should be their focus.  They can come and go to do tasks (like accompanying people in their life).  But their focus needs to remain on the task at hand.

How good are you at maintaining your focus?  Do you think it is wise for Jesus to advise these people to maintain their focus?

Second Thought:

Jesus tells His disciples that there will be people who won’t receive them.  That’s okay.  In fact, Jesus tells them not to pursue them.  They aren’t to go chasing after anyone.  They are to focus on the people who are willing to receive them.

This is a really huge point that we in the modern church often forget.  Jesus NEVER chased after anyone.  If they received Him, great.  If they didn’t receive His message, fine.  Jesus understands that not everyone is at a place in their life where they will be receptive.  What a wonderful piece of advice to be allowed to focus on those in your life who are telling you that they are ready to receive!

Why do we in the church often feel like we have to chase after people?  Where does this kind of feeling ultimately lead?  When we feel like we have to appease other people or make them happy, what do we in the church ultimately end up teaching to other people?  Why is there a tremendous amount of freedom in being able to focus on the specific people who are ready to receive what God has to offer through you?

Third Thought:

The disciples follow Jesus’ instructions.  They begin with the need for everyone to repent.

Why is it important to begin with our need as human beings to repent?  If we begin anywhere else, what are we likely to miss with respect to a genuine relationship with God?  Why do we often start in places other than our need to repent before God?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 6:14-16

Mark 6:7-9

FOR SATURDAY, April 13

Passage

Jesus begins to send out the Twelve in pairs.  Jesus gave the disciples authority over the unclean spirits.  He told them to take nothing for their journey except a staff.  They were to not take a bag, bread, or money.  They were to wear sandals and not even have an extra tunic.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Ministry is not something that is to be done alone.  There is a reason that when Jesus begins his ministry He immediately calls disciples.  There is a reason that Jesus sends the disciples out here that they go in pairs.  Even when Jesus gets ready to have the Passover right before He dies, Jesus sends two disciples out to make preparations.  Ministry is more fun with a partner.  Partners catch mistakes that an individual will make.  Partners help the creative process happen.  Partners encourage and help overcome frustration.  There are lots of good things that happen when we have a partner in ministry.

Do you do much ministry on your own?  How can this be dangerous?  Is it difficult to have a partner?

Second Thought:

Jesus gives them authority.  Remember the past several chapters in Mark.  When the people were amazed at Jesus, they were amazed by His authority and power.  Jesus taught as one with authority.  Jesus healed as one with authority.  Jesus now gives this authority to His disciples.  Jesus imparted His most impressive “stuff” onto the disciples as He sent them out.  Jesus equips. 

Do you feel equipped?  What has Jesus equipped you to do?  In what manner can you advance the kingdom of God through the equipping of Jesus Christ?

Third Thought:

Likewise, Jesus tells them to not worry about taking a bag, or an extra tunic, or money.  Jesus is teaching His disciples that He has given them everything that they need.  They don’t need to go out and get extra supplies for their work.  All that they will need has either been provided or will be provided by the Lord going before them (as we’ll see in tomorrow’s reading).

Is it difficult to trust in the Lord’s provision?  Why is there such a temptation to bring any and every supply that you might possibly need?  What does this human trait teach us about how willing we are to rely upon God?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 6:10-13