Temptations of the Spirit-filled Jesus

One Year Bible

New Testament passage for Thursday, March 20, 2014:  Luke 4:1-30

1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into[a] the wilderness, 2 being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.  Luke 4:1-2 (NKJV)

Defining Moments

Can you remember the crucial moments in your life?  Decisions or events that set the course of your future? In the broad scope of time, there are events called hinges of history -- turning points.  Like hinges of a door, history turns on these axes -- 9/11; Dec, 7, 1941; many more.  On a personal level, there are building blocks of experience that made you the person you are.

Jesus had crucial turn-point moments in His life.  One came at the very outset of His public ministry.  Having been baptized by John, He stepped onto the stage of history full of the Holy Spirit.

Beginnings are always important.  We can often tell the nature of a race or sporting event by the way it starts. The first steps of Jesus' public ministry tell us much about the pattern and practice of His life.  They also tell us what to expect and how to act as we follow Jesus.

From Blessing straight into Battle

Jesus began with BLESSING.  At the Jordan River, He was baptized by John.  The Holy Spirit descended on Him like a dove.  Scripture says that "the heaven was opened." (Luke 3:21)  This is more than a whispy parting of clouds.  It speaks of a violent ripping open such as is described elsewhere as "rend the heavens" (Is. 64:1).  A "closed heaven" became an "open heaven" by a violent ripping back by the Father that changed history. The Father spoke blessing on His Son.

We all want our lives to be an endless succession of blessing upon blessing.  The very first step of the Spirit-filled Jesus, however, was into BATTLE (Luke 4:1).  While our destiny is unending blessing, our immediate experience may be battle.  Like Jesus, we are born into warfare.

Choose Your Weapons

As Jesus entered the three years of ministry that changed history, He had to choose His methods.  Like anyone who sets out to win a war, He had to choose His weapons, and define His strategy.  That is exactly what the three temptations are all about.  Satan came tempting Jesus to take three alternative paths toward accomplishing His mission.

1. The "stone to bread" option.  

Jesus could buy men's loyalty by giving them a loaf of bread.  Material benefits might win a few, but in the long run, they will not stay.  Even though Jesus had the ability to make bread materialize out of rock, He chose to win us "not by bread alone, but by the words proceeding out of the mouth of God."

2.  The "cut the corners" option.

Jesus knew that He was destined to rule the entire world.  Satan offered a compromise that would get the job done quickly and "easily."  Satan offered Jesus fulfillment of His mission the easy way -- "just bow down and worship me."  The Rhinestone Cowboy sang to us, "there'll be a load of compromisin' on the road to my horizon."  Not so with Jesus.

Satan confuses us with the grey of compromise.  We then lose the ability to see the black and white of God's will.  We must never lose the confident assurance of "Thus says the Lord!"

3.  The "showmanship" option.

Our world is full of fake facades.  Image becomes everything.  Satan tempted Jesus to do an amazing act that meant absolutely nothing.  Jump off the pinnacle of the Temple!  Jesus refused to win people by glitzy showmanship.

Setting Your Course

When Jesus withstood these three temptations, He was setting His course.  He operated on the basis of the Word of God and refused to be swayed by easier options or pragmatic short-cuts.

How have you built your life?  It is never too late to set the right course.  Even though the battle may be intense, the rewards are eternal.  The turning points are really building blocks.  If we choose God's weapons and use His strategy, we will always win in the greatest battle of life.

DINNER WITH A PERFECT STRANGER, Part 1: "Questions"

Here are the notes from the message this past Sunday at New Life Community Church.  This is the first in the series DINNER WITH A PERFECT STRANGER, and is entitled "Questions."  If you would like to listen to this message, you may do so by going to our website at www.newlifesite.com.  God bless!

Dinner with a Perfect Stranger, Part 1                                           Sunday, March 9, 2014

“Questions”

Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, … and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’  Matthew 22:4 (ESV)

What would you do if you could have a long conversation with Jesus?  What would you talk about?  What would you ask Him?

When we hit upon the perplexing questions of life, we often say, “When I get to heaven, the first thing I’m going to ask Jesus is ……”

Why did my father die?

Why does my child always have to suffer so much?

Why did He allow me to be abused?

Why did my brother or my sister turn out so different from me?

Why, if He’s so good and so powerful, is there so much suffering in the world?

We usually ask some very personal questions.  But we might ask about things of a broader nature.

How can I really know You are real?

Why have so many big mistakes been made in history?

It can get pretty deep. 

You hear it all the time.  I just can’t go to church any more.  I have too many questions.  If God is so good, why are so many preachers stealing from people and living hypocritical lives?  After all, how do I know the Bible is true anyway?

Isn’t it a bit arrogant to claim that Jesus is the only way?  On top of that, how can a loving God banish people to eternal hell just because they don’t praise Him?  Is God some kind of ego-maniac that kills everyone who doesn’t agree with Him?

Aren’t there other ways to view reality?  After all, science has some pretty good arguments that seem to run directly against what the Bible says.

QUESTIONS!!!

The world is full of them.  Maybe you are full of them.  Your neighbor, your friend, your co-worker deals with life’s questions on a regular basis.

Years ago Francis Schaeffer wrote a small book about our mission in the world.  It was called Two Contents, Two Realities.  In it he says what’s needed above all else is Two Contents and Two Realities.

They are:

1.      Sound Doctrine

2.      Honest Answers to Honest Questions

3.      True spirituality

4.      The beauty of human relationships

This past week, a mother wrote on Facebook asking, “Do suicide victims go to hell?”

Real, hard questions. 

The answers are not just intellectual.  They are spiritual.  They are relational

In the book, Dinner with a Perfect Stranger, Nick Comiskey meets for supper with Jesus.

On pages 23-24:

Jesus:  I don’t think there’s much I can say that would actually convince you I’m Jesus.

Nick:  Well, that’s one true statement.

Jesus:  I have a suggestion.  Why don’t you suspend your disbelief for a while and proceed as if I am Jesus?  Surely if Jesus were actually here, you might have some questions for him.

Nick thought:  That’s not a bad idea.  We were getting nowhere with my trying to figure out his real identity.  And this had the potential to be interesting.  Assuming this guy knew his stuff, this might be the best philosophical discussion I’d had since …. Northern Illinois days?  We actually used to talk about Kant and Kierkegaard and even Feynmann back then. 

Nick:  Okay, fine.  I have one for you.  The other day I passed the church down the street, and their sign read, ‘“No one comes to the Father but through me” – Jesus.’  If you actually said that, I think you’re full of it.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.  John 14:6 (NKJV)

There are some things that are extremely offensive about Christianity’s claims of exclusivity.  So we need to look a little further and ask some hard questions.

Our world is full of CYNICISM.

There is a belief that NO ONE knows the truth.

We are talking about the whole topic of worldview.  Every faith or philosophical position has a worldview.  Most people’s worldview is ME.

But, if you go a little further, you have to ask important questions.  Like: what is right and wrong?  What happens to us when we die?  Where did we come from?  Where are we going?  Where is history going?  Is anything worth living for?  What is life all about anyway?

There are a lot of philosophies out there.

Hedonism

Existentialism

Rationalism

Libertarianism

Postmodernism

Anarchy

For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  I Corinthians 3:11 (NKJV)

⁶ I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— ⁷ which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!  Galatians 1:6-8 (NIV)

The Uniqueness of Christianity.

1.     The Offer of FORGIVENESS.

2.     The PERSON of JESUS.

3.     RELATIONSHIP rather than RULES.

4.     DO vs. DONE.

All He asks is that you pray.

"Watch and Pray!" -- Jefferson, Edwards, and Jesus

One Year Bible
New Testament passage for Friday, March 7, 2013:  Mark 13:14-37

³² “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³ Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. ³⁴ It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. ³⁵ Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning— ³⁶ lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. ³⁷ And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”  Mark 13:32-36 (NKJV)

It was Thomas Jefferson who said, "The price of liberty is eternal vigilance."  He spoke of guarding against governmental tyranny -- unwavering vigilance to maintain temporal freedom.  His advice is absolutely valid as concerning this present life.  But Jesus tells us of a bigger and more important picture.



Jesus speaks of eternal judgment.  This does not make sense to carnal man.  People tend today to think only of present pleasure -- immediate gratification -- living the "good life."  Why worry about eternity?  Perhaps that's why so many people today are suffering from depression, anxiety, and hopelessness.  Paul addresses this, "If in this life only we have hope...we are of all men the most pitiable." (I Co. 15:19)

Jesus speaks of His return at the end of the age.  He says that we are to "Watch and pray" -- to be vigilant.  This is a theme throughout Jesus' teaching.  I will try to summarize it this way:

1.  Eternity is nearer than you think.

NO ONE knows when history will end.  Only the Father.  This life will be over before you know it!  As Christians we must live as citizens of heaven all the while living fully engaged here on earth.

2.  Live your life as if Jesus were coming back this afternoon.

Jonathan Edwards, the greatest theological America has produced, wrote and lived by 70 resolutions.



No. 5 says, "Resolved never to do anything I should be afraid to do if it were my last hour of my life or before the last trumpet blew."

No. 7:  "Resolved to think much on the brevity and how short life is."

No. 15:  "Resolved to live each and every day at all times with the things of Eternity always on my mind and heart."

3.  When He comes, there will be judgment.

It is inescapable.  Jesus Himself said that we will give an account for "every idle word!" (Matt. 12:36)  Paul said, "For we must ALL appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." (II Co. 5:10)

I do not believe this judgment is with respect to heaven or hell, but rather about REWARDS.  Jesus tells us that we need to be ready for His return!

4.  Don't grow lazy in your walk today just because the going is rough.

Jesus speaks of falling asleep.  Every father and every mother knows that they must remain vigilant concerning the spiritual and moral well-being of their children.  If a parent falls asleep, there is an enemy always ready to fill the void.

Similarly, spiritual laziness is a disease that opens the door to great loss. When we let down our guard, the devil will attack.

One closing thought:  this is more than personal.  There are winds blowing in our day that threaten to tear apart our world.  This is not pessimism.  It is recognition that the foundations of Judeo-Christian culture are eroding fast.  Never has it been more important for God's people to WATCH AND PRAY.  This is more than eternal vigilance to preserve temporal liberty.  It is unending vigilance to be ready for eternal judgment.
Jesus' last words in this passage: "And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!"

The One Who Comes

One Year Bible
New Testament passage for Monday, March 3, 2014:  Mark 11:1-26

7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it. 8 And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna!  ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’  10 Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the highest!”  11 And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple.  Mark 11:7-11 (NKJV)

He Might Surprise You

Mere days before His crucifixion, Jesus came to Jerusalem riding on a donkey.  We call this "The Triumphal Entry."  We celebrate it on Palm Sunday.  It is however a study in contradiction and misunderstanding.  This great day is not what it appears at first glance.




The crowds welcomed Him expecting deliverance from Roman domination.  As such, they laid down their cloaks, waved palm branches, and shouted adulation.  This same crowd would within days curse Him and call for His death.

Political freedom had been their long-awaited hope for years.  Over 150 years prior, Simon Maccabaeus had entered Jerusalem in similar fashion.  Maccabees 13:51 says, "And he entered into it the three and twentieth day of the seventh month, seventy and first year, with thanksgiving and branches of palm trees, and with harps, and cymbals, and viols, and hymns and songs, because there was destroyed a great enemy out of Israel."  He and his brothers had won temporary victory over the Romans, and he entered Jerusalem as a conqueror.

The people expected Jesus to do what the Maccabean brothers had done -- and more.  When He did not deliver, they turned on Him.

How often do we falter because of false expectations?  We claim promises that seem so right, but God simply has a better plan.  I find an epidemic among God's people today of DISAPPOINTMENT because God didn't do what they thought He would do.

God's plans are ALWAYS GOOD.  His ways of doing them might surprise you.

The Surprising Entry

Here are some observations about "The Triumphal Entry."  It might better be called the Surprising Entry.

1.  Jesus came riding on a donkey.

This should have been a huge tip-off to the crowd.  In those days, when a king went to war, he rode a horse.  When he came in peace, he rode a donkey.  Jesus did not ride into Jerusalem declaring political victory.  He did not come to conquer the Romans with swords and spears.  His kingdom is of a different type.  His kingdom begins with humility.

2.  The people's praise was conditional.

They shouted Psalm 118:24, "Blessed in He who comes in the name of the Lord!"  The Hebrew syntax allows an alternate reading here.  It might better be, "Blessed in the name of the Lord is He who comes!"  HE WHO COMES is another name for the Messiah.  It is an expression that grew during the Maccabean Revolt that believed the Messiah would someday come to restore national Israel.  

They shouted, "Hosanna!"  We think of this as a word of PRAISE.  It really is not.  It means, "Save now."  It is a prayer.  It is a request for immediate relief.

The festival of The Triumphal Entry was not celebrating Jesus for Who He is.  Rather it was excitement over what He would do.  So, do we worship ON THE CONDITION of blessings that will come our way?  Or do we praise based on His unchanging CHARACTER?

3.  Jesus showed incredible courage to enter Jerusalem.

He knew the people expected something from Him that He would not deliver.  He also knew that they would soon turn on Him.  He knew that He rode to His death.

Few things are as enticing as the praise of "friends."  He felt the pressure to rise to their expectations.  One might expect Him to enter Jerusalem secretly so as not to inflame this unfounded zeal.  Instead, He rode openly. He did not flee to safety and sanity.

4.  His purpose was to cleanse the Temple.

It is important to look back again to the days of the Maccabees.

In 167 B.C., Antiochus Epiphanes, Roman ruler out of Syria, had run roughshod over everything Jewish.  In an endeavor to promote Greek culture and religion, he had outlawed the worship of God.  He made it illegal to even own a copy of the Torah.  Circumcision of your child was punishable by death.  He desecrated the Temple by erecting statues of Zeus in the Holy Place and turning the Temple courts into a place of prostitution.  He even offered a pig as a sacrifice on the Altar.

Then, in 163 A.D., Judas Maccabaeus rose up and led a massive revolt.  Howard Fast tells this amazing story in his great novel My Glorious Brothers.  He drove Antiochus Epiphanes out, re-purified and re-consecrated the Temple, and, for a brief few years, re-established Israel independent of foreign domination.  History records that Psalm 118 was sung celebrating this victory.  "Blessed in he who comes in the name of the Lord!" (Ps. 118:24)  This victory is celebrated by Jews today as Hanukkah.

I am sure the crowd that met Jesus expected something similar.  Once again, Jesus' actions were very different from what the people look for.  Mark 11:15-19 says that sure enough Jesus entered the Temple, but rather than driving the Romans out, He turned over ceremonial tables.  He attacked the Temple system of selling sacrifices (doves is mentioned in vs 15).

The cleansing was not aimed at pagan pollution but rather at the religion of the scribes and chief priests (vs. 18).

He Always has a Different Way

Jesus always comes to us in different ways than we expect.  We get worked up in our plans for personal advancement, and He rides in on a donkey.  We think He is going to vanquish our enemies, and instead He takes us to the woodshed.  Peter summarizes this when he says, "For it is time for judgment to begin at the house of God." (I Pet. 4:17)

A day will come in which Jesus will return riding on a white horse (Rev. 19:11), but today He rides on a donkey.  A day will come in which every foe will be vanquished, but today He calls everyone to repent.  It is our joy to see the Lord in all His glory even as the world does not yet see Him so.

"The Invitation"

Here are the notes from the message at New Life Community Church, Sunday, March 2, 2014.  This was Family Sunday and the message was "The Invitation".  If you would like to listen to this message, you may do so by going to our website at www.newlifesite.com.  God bless.

Family Sunday                                                                                                Sunday, March 1, 2014

 “The Invitation”

Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, … and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’  Matthew 22:4 (ESV)

² “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, ³ and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come.  Matthew 22:2-3 (ESV

⁴ Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ ⁵ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, ⁶ while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.⁷ The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. ⁸ Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy.   Matthew 22:4-8 (ESV)

⁹ Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ ¹⁰ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.  Matthew 22:9-10 (ESV)

An invitation to RELATIONSHIP.

An invitation to GROW.

And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  Matthew 4:19 (ESV)

An invitation to HELP.

Titanic Illustration

On April 14, 1912, the Titanic struck an iceberg and was swallowed up in the icy waters of the North Atlantic. Over 1,500 people perished as "the ship that not even God could sink" sank. Only about a third of the passengers lived to tell of the nightmare.

Although the death toll was staggering, the greater tragedy was that many more people could have been rescued. TheTitanic was certified to offer lifeboat space to 1,178 people. But of the twenty lifeboats lowered overboard, only a few were filled to capacity. Several were less than half full. For instance, the first lifeboat lowered, boat seven, had room for 65 people, yet just 28 boarded. Boat five left with 24 spaces unfilled. Lifeboat nine left with 26 out of 65 paces unfilled. Lifeboat one could accommodate 40 people but left the Titanic with only 12 people on board. In all, only 711 passengers and crew were rescued, while 40 percent of the total lifeboat spaces remained unfilled. Meanwhile, hundreds of people floated in the open water wearing life jackets near the twenty unfilled lifeboats. Only one of the vessels went back in search of other survivors. The rest (with room to spare) remained at a safe distance observing the horrific scene, comforting one another, and praising God they'd been spared.

In the ensuing months, as investigators sought to determine why so many lifeboat seats remained unfilled, they uncovered some startling misperceptions. First, some of the Titanic crewman mistakenly assumed that filling the lifeboats to their "sea capacity" would cause the boats to break in two during the lowering process. As a result of their excessive caution, many passengers were forced to plummet into the icy waters. Secondly, some of the passengers were reluctant to board the lifeboats because they didn't feel that there was an urgent need. After all, the ship was supposedly "unsinkable."

An invitation to FIGHT.

Lord of the Rings Illustration

Remember the character of Treebeard, a leader among the race of Ents, the shepherds of the forest in The Lord of the Rings? The Ents are described as a "deliberate" people, extremely slow to decide on a course of action. In reality, they are eager to avoid committing themselves in the great contest against the Dark Lord. "I am not altogether on anybody's side," Treebeard explains, "because nobody is altogether on my side." Up until the eleventh hour, the Ents hope to maintain a policy of strict neutrality. But their desire to be left alone—their refusal to choose Goodness—becomes untenable as the dark forces of Mordor gather against the inhabitants of Middle-earth:

"Of course, it is likely enough, my friends," Treebeard said slowly, "likely enough that we are going to our doom: the last march of the Ents. But if we stayed at home and did nothing, doom would find us anyway, sooner or later. That thought has long been growing in our hearts; and that is why we are marching now."

Wherever we are in our journey, whatever we believe, our earthly march will come to an end. Whether we meet Jesus at the moment of our death, or when he comes again—without disguise—we will face him …. As C. S. Lewis warned, "That will not be the time for choosing. It will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realized it or not."

Bartimaeus

One Year Bible
New Testament passage for Sunday, March 2, 2014:  Mark 10:32-52

46 Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”  Mark 10:46-47 (NKJV)

Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the Synoptic Gospels.  They are called this because they are so similar. "Syn" means "together" and "optic" means "seeing."  These three Gospels are at times almost identical.  They "see together" the story of Jesus.  They often tell the same stories but from a slightly different perspective.

Bartimaeus is a blind man that shows up in all three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43).  He is a "nobody" who becomes a picture of the grace of God.  He was a man with no identity who speaks to us of the infinite love of the Master.

We need to look a little closer at this man Bartimaeus.  In many ways, he is a picture of you and me.

1.  Bartimaeus really had no name.

His name in the Bible is really nothing more than a statement of family.  "Bar" means "son of".  Bartimaeus is not really a name.  It simply says that this man was "the son of Timaeus."  His father never gave him a name.

2.  Bartimaeus was an outcast.

Why in the world would Timaeus never give his son a proper name?  The key may lie in his blindness.  Bartimaeus lived in Jericho, a border town.  Venereal disease was rampant in these crossroads cities.  If a mother had gonorrhea, her child could actually be infected and born blind.  It was venereal disease of the eyes.  This was not at all uncommon.  We do not know this for sure, but it is possible that Bartimaeus was born blind because of the venereal disease of his mother.

If this is the case, he would have been an outcast of Jewish society -- marked from birth as the child of sin. In the culture of those day, he would have been labeled and rejected from day one.

In a sense, we are all like Bartimaeus.  We are born in sin, and blind from birth (Eph. 2:2-3; II Co. 4:4).   We inherited death from our father Adam

3.  Bartimaeus had to make a major decision.

Despite the rebukes of the crowd, Baritmaeus kept crying out.  He made a decision to meet Jesus.  He had heard of this miracle worker.  He would not remain quiet while his deliverance came so near.

4.  Bartimaeus threw off the old way of seeing himself.

Mark 10:50 says that when Jesus called for Bartimaeus, he "threw off his garment" and came to Jesus.  The garment of a beggar was tattered and dirty.  It was so recognizable that a beggar could be spotted easily.  It was part of who he was.

The garments of a beggar are nothing to brag about.  But, remember this, it was all he had.  It was all he had to keep him warm on a cold night.  It was his pillow on the street.  Those rags may have been ugly, but they were all he had.  He threw them off!

5.  Jesus looked Bartimaeus in the eye.

Jesus asked Bartimaeus a strange question.  Jesus knew that he was blind, yet He still asked what seemed to be obvious.  "What do you want Me to do for you?"  There are two ways we can view this question.  On one side, we might think Jesus wants to Bartimaeus to name his need.  This is valid in that God wants us to be specific in our requests.

But there is another way of seeing this.  Bartimaeus was a "nobody."  The God of the universe kneels down to become the servant of a man no one respects.  Jesus does this to us.  He kneels and says, "How can I help you?"  "How can I meet your need?"

6.  Bartimaeus knew what he wanted.

What would you ask for if Jesus would grant your request?  He repeatedly beckons us in Scripture to make our request known.  Bartimaues was clear in what he wanted -- his eyesight.  This is key to our progress. God wants us to be specific with Him in our prayers.

7.  Bartimaeus became a follower.

The final word in this story is, Bartimaeus "followed Jesus on the road."  It all comes down to following Jesus.  Christianity is not about keeping rules or doing good deeds.  It is about following the Son of God.  It is about being a disciple.  The greatest praise anyone can offer is immitation.  Our goal is to die to ourselves so that we can become flesh-and-blood representatives of the greatest Man that ever lived.

Batimaeus may have been a "nobody".  But, he became one of the greatest men of history -- all because of Who me met and Who he followed.  That's amazing grace.

The Unpredictable Way God Works

One Year Bible
New Testament passage for Tuesday, February 25, 2014:  Mark 7:24-8:10

31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32 And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33 And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue.   Mark 7:31-33 (ESV)

An Unusual Path

God always does things in unusual ways.  Figure out the way you would do it.  Then turn it over to God. He ALWAYS does it in His own unique and unpredictable way!

This is vividly illustrated throughout Mark's Gospel.  Mark 7:31 says Jesus left Tyre and traveled to the Sea of Galilee by way of Sidon and the Decapolis.  That doesn't make sense.  In fact, some Bible scholars have questioned this passage because of it.  One writer even said, "That's like wanting to go from St. Louis to New York City via Montreal then New Orleans."  Sounds like some of the flight schedules you will get today -- go east to travel west.

It took a long time to walk this circuitous route -- perhaps several months.  It was during these days that Jesus taught His disciples as they trudged along.  Even though the path didn't make sense, God was using that time for valuable preparation.  This was discipleship.  He does that with us, too.

A Unique Healing 

Once at the Sea of Galilee, we find another befuddling example of how Jesus works.  A deaf-mute was brought to Him.  No doubt these two maladies went together.  Because the man couldn't hear, he was unable to formulate speech.  The beauty of Jesus shines in the way He ministered to this man.  He offered no stock prayers.  No quick running through the prayer line.  Here's what He did.  Mark 7:31 tells us...

1.  He took the man aside.  

This speaks of INDIVIDUAL CARE.  This poor man may have been embarrassed and crowd-conscious. Jesus, in essence, said to him, "Let's get alone for a minute."  Jesus wanted the man to know that He cared for him as a person; not just because everyone expected Him to.

2.  He put His fingers in his ears.

Hearing was the basic problem.  Jesus touched the man at the deepest point of his need.  This represents INCARNATION.  Jesus does not heal from a distance.  He comes to the very place of defeat, disease, and distress.  "The Word became flesh" (John 1:14).

3.  He spit and touched the man's tongue.

This is certainly an unusual way of ministering.  Most interpreters agree that Jesus spat on his own hands and then with his finger touched the tongue of the man with some of His spit.  What in the world does this mean? Of course, this should not be a formula we use in our altar ministry.  "I went to church, asked for prayer, and they spat on me!"    No.

Jesus took that which was in His own mouth and put into the mouth of this mute man.  Jesus gave of Himself. This is IMPARTATION.  I am reminded of another stutterer in the Bible -- Moses.  He told God, "I can't talk.  I get tongue-tied.  I'm slow of speech." (Ex. 4:10)  God sternly replied, "I made your mouth, and I can mute people speak and blind people see."  He did that with this man.

Like He did with Jeremiah, God put His words into this poor man's mouth.

An Astonishing Result

It is downright amazing the way Jesus works.  It seems each circumstance brings a different pattern.  In Mark 8, we find Jesus spitting in a man's eyes!  Another time, just speaks a word.

Walking with Jesus is not following a rule book.  There is no Manual of Practices and Procedure.  He may lead you through your own Sidon and Decapolis, but He always gets you to the destination on time.  He may minister to you in unusual ways, like using spit or poking you in the ear.  But the end result is described in Mark 7:31.

The people were "astonished beyond measure, saying, 'He has done all things well.  He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.'"