Mark 9:30-32

Passage

Jesus takes His disciples once more through the region of Galilee.  This time, however, He didn’t want anyone to know.  Jesus told His disciples for a second time the He would be handed over into the hands of human beings.  Jesus told His disciples that they would kill Him and after three days He would rise from the dead.  However, the disciples did not understand what He was saying and they were afraid to ask Him to explain.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Jesus didn’t want anyone to know they were in Galilee.  Galilee had proven to be a spot where people were willing to listen in the past, so it might seem strange that Jesus went incognito here.  However, this is what I believe is going on.  Jesus knows His time is short.  He knows that His disciples still have some things to learn.  He knows that when the crowd is around, deep teaching doesn’t happen very often.  So this moment of incognito is for His disciples.  They need to learn.  So Jesus must sacrifice time away from the crowd and instead devote it to the “small group” or the “inner circle.”  Jesus knows that before He dies, He must have a small group of disciples who can pass along what He has or else His time on earth was fruitless.  Any teacher can leave behind a set of instructions.  Jesus knows He needs to leave behind disciples who can make disciples.

Why does Jesus seem to always resort to small group times for moments of deep teaching?  How does the crowd actually detract from our ability to teach out of the relationships we have?  How is this dynamic true in our modern lives – even our modern churches?

Second Thought:

Jesus clearly teaches the disciples that He is going to be handed over, put to death, and raised.  There’s the plan.  It’s been the plan all along.  God is consistent.  He has a plan.  He has an agenda.  And quite often He’s actually not afraid to tell us the plan ahead of time.

Why do you think Jesus tells the disciples the plan ahead of time?  Why would Jesus need to prepare them for the things to come?  Whose fault do you think it is that we don’t often feel like we know God’s plan – His for not telling us or ours for not being in a place to listen?

Third Thought:

As the last question asserts, just because God tells us the plan doesn’t mean that we listen.  It doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re disobedient, either.  Sometimes God’s plan is just over our head.  In this case God tells us the plan so that after it happens we can look back and see God at work.  Sometimes God tells us the plan and we don’t want to hear it even though we understand it.  In these cases, we act out of our rebellion and ignore the plan.  Sometimes we hear the plan from God and jump on board.  In these cases, we act out of Christ’s righteousness and surge ahead with God.

Why do you think we don’t hear God all that often?  When we do hear Him, why does it often feel like it is hard to hear Him?  How does it feel to hear God and rebel?  How does it feel to hear God and give yourself to Him fully?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 9:33-37