7/5/18
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.
In Mark chapter six we find Jesus running into a brick wall. He is not able to do miracles in his home town. We may well ask why not. The people didn’t believe him. They rejected him, saying that he was merely a guy they knew, taking him for granted, assuming that there was nothing special about him. They despised his authority, his ability, and his claims to divinity.
Yes, Jesus is able to do miracles regardless of our attitude toward him. But when he is rejected and despised, his miraculous grace is not delivered effectively to his opponents. It is as if he says, “Fine! You wish to reject my love, mercy, and grace so as to work out salvation on your own terms? I will leave you to it. Go ahead and deal with sin and death as well as you can.” This is, after all, why not all are saved even though Jesus is the savior of the world.
What’s really surprising in this passage, though, is that Jesus sends out some of his disciples and gives them the power to do the same kind of healing works that he would do. In their dependence on Jesus, they are also able to heal and cast out demons. Jesus’ power even works through his followers who believe. And we might question their belief as well. They seem genuinely surprised that they are able to do what Jesus sent them to do.
The principle in operation here is simply trusting Jesus enough to take him at his word. He says he is the savior. He speaks the truth. We expect that he will do what he has said, and he does it. Thanks be to God.
If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.
In Mark chapter six we find Jesus running into a brick wall. He is not able to do miracles in his home town. We may well ask why not. The people didn’t believe him. They rejected him, saying that he was merely a guy they knew, taking him for granted, assuming that there was nothing special about him. They despised his authority, his ability, and his claims to divinity.
Yes, Jesus is able to do miracles regardless of our attitude toward him. But when he is rejected and despised, his miraculous grace is not delivered effectively to his opponents. It is as if he says, “Fine! You wish to reject my love, mercy, and grace so as to work out salvation on your own terms? I will leave you to it. Go ahead and deal with sin and death as well as you can.” This is, after all, why not all are saved even though Jesus is the savior of the world.
What’s really surprising in this passage, though, is that Jesus sends out some of his disciples and gives them the power to do the same kind of healing works that he would do. In their dependence on Jesus, they are also able to heal and cast out demons. Jesus’ power even works through his followers who believe. And we might question their belief as well. They seem genuinely surprised that they are able to do what Jesus sent them to do.
The principle in operation here is simply trusting Jesus enough to take him at his word. He says he is the savior. He speaks the truth. We expect that he will do what he has said, and he does it. Thanks be to God.
If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.
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