A Bible discussion hosted by Four Seasons Community Church.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Mark 14
Things begin moving quickly in chapter 14. The Last Supper, Jesus' arrest, and Peter's denial of Christ all happen in this chapter. Post your thoughts and questions. We learn better together.
No matter how many times I read the WORD, I always seem to either see it in a different light or notice something I'd missed before. That bit about the poor guy who had his clothes torn off and escaped naked....never saw that before. Yet, it was obviously significant to Mark, or he wouldn't have included it. I wonder what was his point in including that piece of information?
For those who may be reading the blog and did not get in on the discussion Wed., the man who ran off naked is probably a self-reference by Mark. So, to answer your question, this detail is important to Mark because it happened to him!
I received 3 pieces of “Christian SPAM” this week that contained slanderous accusations toward public figures who have publicly professed Christian faith. Each of these emails urged the reader to pass the message along to other “believers”. As I read Jesus’ prayer in John 17 this morning, I was overwhelmed with sadness and indignation at the state of HIS Church…a gossiping bride. In this passage, Jesus prays “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me…” How can the world believe that what we say about Jesus is true when we spend so much time openly expressing DIS-unity because we are focusing on our minor differences? Whether those differences are strictly theological issues such as when and how to baptize, issues where theology and the world interface such as the age of the earth, or even personal opinions such as one’s chosen political party, we have gotten to the point that we accuse other believers of not being “real Christians” if they differ at all from us. Jesus prayed to the Father “that they [us] may be one as WE are one”…I’m not a prophet, but I’m pretty sure Jesus and the Father didn’t spend any time attacking each other, so why should believers? I receive at least one email a week in which the author professes Christianity but fills the email with either this sort of accusation, expressions of hostility toward groups or organizations that include other Christians (NOT just expressing that something they do or believe might go against Biblical principles), warnings of dire consequences (usually the beginning of the endtimes) if the reader listens to other Christians who don’t believe a certain way about some issue not central to the faith, or – perhaps most damaging of all – a flat-out lie that they found on the Web. These emails bully the reader into forwarding the message by insinuating either directly or indirectly that failure to do so means that you don’t love GOD – and so the garbage is spread by those who quite innocently are simply trying to be obedient to the faith. The Internet is filled with this stuff. Even if there is a reasonable point to be made about some of these issues, how would a seeker ever sort through all the finger-pointing to figure out which Christians are the “real” ones? Why would someone looking for forgiveness and compassion ever want to go to a group that expresses such hostility even to its own members? Our light is dimmed by the fog created out of this discord. Jesus was falsely charged by the leaders of HIS own faith. In John 18:23, HE states “If I said anything wrong, you must prove it. But if I’m speaking the truth, why are you beating me?” I would like to propose something similar: If we think a professing believer (or group that includes believers) is saying/believing/doing something that opposes Jesus’ teaching, we should not accuse them publicly unless we can prove it (and even then, Paul has specific instruction on how do handle this situation that does not include gossip!). But if a believer is saying/believing/doing something that is different from what we might say/believe/do, but does not oppose Jesus’ teaching, why should we “beat” them? In Mark 9, Jesus admonishes the disciples to remember that “whoever is not against us is for us”. Scripture is very clear as to who our “enemy” is…and it isn’t other believers. Satan watches us and laughs, because while we are bickering with each other, he is taking souls with him to Hell. In Mark 3:25, Jesus says “If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” Let us remember what is central to our faith and stand clearly and firmly together for that. Then our light will shine brightly to guide the lost home to Jesus.
3 comments:
No matter how many times I read the WORD, I always seem to either see it in a different light or notice something I'd missed before. That bit about the poor guy who had his clothes torn off and escaped naked....never saw that before. Yet, it was obviously significant to Mark, or he wouldn't have included it. I wonder what was his point in including that piece of information?
For those who may be reading the blog and did not get in on the discussion Wed., the man who ran off naked is probably a self-reference by Mark. So, to answer your question, this detail is important to Mark because it happened to him!
I received 3 pieces of “Christian SPAM” this week that contained slanderous accusations toward public figures who have publicly professed Christian faith. Each of these emails urged the reader to pass the message along to other “believers”. As I read Jesus’ prayer in John 17 this morning, I was overwhelmed with sadness and indignation at the state of HIS Church…a gossiping bride. In this passage, Jesus prays “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me…” How can the world believe that what we say about Jesus is true when we spend so much time openly expressing DIS-unity because we are focusing on our minor differences? Whether those differences are strictly theological issues such as when and how to baptize, issues where theology and the world interface such as the age of the earth, or even personal opinions such as one’s chosen political party, we have gotten to the point that we accuse other believers of not being “real Christians” if they differ at all from us. Jesus prayed to the Father “that they [us] may be one as WE are one”…I’m not a prophet, but I’m pretty sure Jesus and the Father didn’t spend any time attacking each other, so why should believers?
I receive at least one email a week in which the author professes Christianity but fills the email with either this sort of accusation, expressions of hostility toward groups or organizations that include other Christians (NOT just expressing that something they do or believe might go against Biblical principles), warnings of dire consequences (usually the beginning of the endtimes) if the reader listens to other Christians who don’t believe a certain way about some issue not central to the faith, or – perhaps most damaging of all – a flat-out lie that they found on the Web. These emails bully the reader into forwarding the message by insinuating either directly or indirectly that failure to do so means that you don’t love GOD – and so the garbage is spread by those who quite innocently are simply trying to be obedient to the faith. The Internet is filled with this stuff. Even if there is a reasonable point to be made about some of these issues, how would a seeker ever sort through all the finger-pointing to figure out which Christians are the “real” ones? Why would someone looking for forgiveness and compassion ever want to go to a group that expresses such hostility even to its own members? Our light is dimmed by the fog created out of this discord.
Jesus was falsely charged by the leaders of HIS own faith. In John 18:23, HE states “If I said anything wrong, you must prove it. But if I’m speaking the truth, why are you beating me?” I would like to propose something similar: If we think a professing believer (or group that includes believers) is saying/believing/doing something that opposes Jesus’ teaching, we should not accuse them publicly unless we can prove it (and even then, Paul has specific instruction on how do handle this situation that does not include gossip!). But if a believer is saying/believing/doing something that is different from what we might say/believe/do, but does not oppose Jesus’ teaching, why should we “beat” them?
In Mark 9, Jesus admonishes the disciples to remember that “whoever is not against us is for us”. Scripture is very clear as to who our “enemy” is…and it isn’t other believers. Satan watches us and laughs, because while we are bickering with each other, he is taking souls with him to Hell. In Mark 3:25, Jesus says “If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” Let us remember what is central to our faith and stand clearly and firmly together for that. Then our light will shine brightly to guide the lost home to Jesus.
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